Roommates
by Katrina Engel
Summary: [AH/AU/OOC] Jace and Clary had been best friends since pre-K. When they left their hometown for their studies at the University of Alicante and moved into the apartment that they now shared, things didn't go as they'd imagined, especially when a new roommate was in the mix - or did it?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to New York

**Hello readers! One day I just had this idea that I really wanted to write down, so here comes the first fanfic I've ever written. I'm pretty sure there may be grammatical mistakes or plots that make you cringe and say "urgh this is so not happening" – but please give it a chance. Constructive criticisms/comments are welcomed. Please review, follow or even favorite! Have fun reading!**

 **-Kat**

* * *

If you almost lost your luggage in the airport, got lost when finding your first destination, or saw the 'out of service' sign at the lift lobby when you're carrying heavy suitcases within the first few hours, barely after you'd arrived at a new place or started a new life, you wouldn't be able to stop the uneasiness clogging your mind for the entire week. Clary Morgernstern got a bingo on all three, but the ' _I'm doomed_ ' hadn't made an appearance yet until the moment she saw the stairs to the apartment - _almost as deadly as the ones walked by the Fellowship_.

"For god's sake, why does the lift have to be out of service today?" Clary complained gaspingly as she dragged her suitcase up the stairs towards the fourth floor, trying not to trip her own feet or being dragged down the stairs by her suitcase instead.

Standing on the fourth floor was Jace, who had just placed most of their luggage on the floor in front of the apartment. He smirked as he looked at his favorite redhead that he had known since pre-K, starting to walk down the stairs. 'I told –'

'Don't give me an "I told you so",' interrupted Clary, gazing at him with narrowed warning eyes – strikingly familiar ones that she inherited from her mum Jocelyn. 'My art supplies are my babies. The hell I'm leaving them in LA! Besides, how can one possibly know that the lift isn't working?' She saw his lips parting so she continued before he could utter a sound, 'Nuh-uh, I don't need your help from here. I can very well carry them up by myself!'

'Said by a five-foot-three midge who climbs the stairs like Frodo sneaks into Mordor,' Jace chuckled as he shook his head at her stubbornness, 'I'll just stand here and watch the show, fiery. Bathe in all my golden glory!'

With his sun-kissed skin, muscular build trained from years of football practices, hair too blonde to be natural, soul-piercing golden eyes and a beautiful – _yes, beautiful_ – face that she was itching to draw (and had drawn many times), it was no exaggeration to say he's like a godsend – _as long as he kept his mouth shut_. Though, Clary would never mention any of these in front of him. _Any more compliment, his head will explode for sure._

'Oh my god,' Clary rolled her eyes, couldn't help but laughed out loud. 'You didn't just say that, you cocky bighead!'

'Just stating the facts!'

'You're delusional!'

'You're too blinded by my glorious looks to see the truth.'

'I don't even know why I'm best friend with you.'

'You know you love me,' said Jace with a grin, quickly stealing a kiss at her cheek as he took the suitcase from her hands. Within seconds, the suitcase had already joined the pile in front of the apartment door.

'I said I can-'

'-handle it. I know. But why let all these muscles go to waste?'

She rolled her eyes again in amusement and stared at the dust covered otherwise fairly new and shiny _501_ sign on the apartment door. Her mind flew back to the very first day they've received the good news – the very first day she started dreaming about this moment.

* * *

 _In her navy blue hoodie, black jeans and her favorite pair of black sneakers, the red-haired girl sprinted out from her house. She felt like it wouldn't be long before she fainted due to acute hypertension with the excitement and anxiety - animated from that unread email - bombing her heart like that. Usually, it took her fifteen minutes to walk from her house to Jace's. This time, it didn't cost her seven minutes before got passed the wrought iron gate and the front door after hammering in the digital codes that she knew all too well. It was a Friday morning, barely passed eleven o' clock, which meant Jace would be the only one at home with his dad being long gone for work. From the utter placidity in the house, it was apparent that her idiot best friend was still sleeping._

 _Clary rushed up the stairs and urgently knocked on the door of Jace's bedroom. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi – she decided not to wait for his response before turning the knob and pushing open the door. No surprise. Sound asleep. With saliva drooling out from his opened mouth. She took out her phone and snapped a picture._ This is gonna be excellent blackmail material. Ha!

 _'Wake up, Jace!'_

 _No response._

 _'HUMAN BOMB!' She took a deep breath and shouted, as she leaped onto his bed and bounced on it before losing her balance and falling onto his quilt-covered torso._

 _Jace slowly opened his eyes and squinted in response to the rays of sunlight penetrating the windows. 'What the – Fiery? What're you doing here? Jesus. It's still so early Give me a break.'_

 _'It'll be noon soon.' Clary pulled the quilt off and threw it to the end of the bed. 'Come on, wake up, lazypants!_

 _'I wanna sleep. Go play with Redbeard,' he murmured as he extended his arms, tried to grab the quilt and hid under it, but with no success._

 _'Couldn't see him when I came all the way him. Your dog is as lazy as you.' She poked at his cheek and continued,' Come on! I've received the email.'_

 _'_ The email?' _asked Jace as he sat up on his bed._

 _'Yes,_ the email.''

 _His eyes widened. 'Wait. Oh my god. What did it say? Did you get in?'_

 _'I don't know. I haven't clicked on it.' She gave him her best puppy eyes – ones that she learnt from Izzy who could make anyone do anything for her with those. 'I'm scared. That's why I need my best friend –'_

 _'Okay. On it.' He shot out of bed, grabbed his clothes from the wardrobe and headed off the bathroom._

 _'I'm gonna use your laptop!' she shouted and heard a muffled 'go ahead' from behind the bathroom door._

 _Fifteen minutes when Jace came back, hair dripping water, Clary was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. The laptop next to her was on._

 _'Have you checked it yet?'_

 _'No. I'm scared shitless.'_

 _He chuckled. 'I'm sure you'll be fine.' He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze._

 _'Easy for you to say. You already got accepted into their Music program.'_

 _'What can I say? I'm a very, very talented man. And you are too. So, don't worry.'_

 _'Alright, very, very talented man, could you check it for me? It's the first email in the inbox.'_

 _'Since you ask so nicely.' He smirked and clicked open the email, '" Dear Miss Morgenstern" – '_

 _'Wait, wait, wait! I'm not ready!' She interrupted and hid her head under his quilt._

 _He pulled it off and continued quickly regardless,' "We are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into the Visual Arts program of the University of Alicante –"'_

 _She shrieked in excitement, jumped up and gave his grinning blond best friend a bear hug. 'Ohmygodohmygod! I got in! I'm going to NYC! We're going to Alicante together!'_

 _'Told you so!' He had the brightest grin she had ever seen him in recently – even wider than the time he received his acceptance email. 'I should have videotaped that moment though. You were totally screaming like a girl.'_

 _'I am a girl. And don't remember I did get your "girlish shriek" on tape last week –'_

 _'You promised you'd delete it!'_

 _'What kind of best friend would I be if I deleted that "precious moment" of yours?'_

 _'You're the worst,' he shook his head in disbelief, though his grin remained on his face – and probably would be for quite a while. 'Oh forgot to tell ya, my dad said he had a vacant apartment near the campus. We could totally stay there –'_

 _'Yay! You're the best! Your dad is the best! I'm gonna call my mum and Sizzy! Oh my god. I can't believe I did it!'_

* * *

While it was at first a bit frightening – after the initial excitement had settled - for it to be rather far from their homes in Los Angeles, she knew nothing could possibly go wrong as long as they had each other's back – just as they had done for the past 14 years despite the constant sarcastic remarks and occasional quarrels.

It's always "Jace and Clary" – you know, the best friends who had a specific seat at the dining table in each other's house, who would punch someone's face the moment that said someone badmouthed the other, who had sleepovers almost once a week, doing all the crazy stunts that you may not even be able to imagine with Instagram posts captioned "hashtag bestfriendsgoals". Jace was the shoulder – or chest, in her case, since she wasn't high enough to comfortably lay her head on his shoulder - Clary cried on when her dad died in a car crash at the age of seven, while Clary was the hand that Jace held when his parents were going through a nasty divorce. If you saw Clary, Jace wouldn't be too far away. But best friends was all they were. That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Their friendship was the only constant in her life - her ex-boyfriend, Jace's ex-girlfriends, their parents' heartbreaks and losses had taught her that much. She was perfectly content with how they were and what they shared now – at least this is what she had been convincing herself.

* * *

Jace inserted the key into the keyhole, rested his arm on her shoulder, looked at her and asked in excitement plus a tiny ounce of anxiousness, 'You ready?'

'You bet,' she grinned at him and turned the knob.

Greeted her was a living room, considerably large for two university students. On the right was the kitchen and dining space whereas the left placed the cloth-covered sofa and television set. Clean white curtains were drawn over the floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing only a few rays of sunlight passing into the room. In the middle of the windows opened to a small balcony, from where the residential buildings and the lovely park nearby could be seen – another view that she was itching to draw. Clary knew at the instant that this would probably be her favorite place in the apartment. At the corner of the room next to the windows was a grand piano – the only furniture in the room without a cloth draping over it and apparently it wasn't here until recently. _'My dad said he'll have the apartment fixed by the time we move in. Sometimes this feels like the only perk of having a workaholic divorced father, you know?'_ she remembered from their conversation earlier.

Despite the tidily arranged furniture in the room, it was rather empty. Blank white walls and ceilings without any decorations– she had the exact idea of what to do with them. Carrying the suitcases into the apartment and glancing around the room, Jace smiled at her expression and asked, "So, you like it?"

'Of course! Is that even a question?'

Turning into the corridor were three bedrooms and one shared bathroom. 'I call dibs on this one!' exclaimed Clary as she looked out from the window in the second room down at the green grass field of the park nearby.

Placing her luggage in the room, Jace gave out a hearty laugh. "Well then I'll take the room right next to yours."

* * *

'Yes, mum. We've had pizza.' After a tiring afternoon of apartment cleaning – more upon Jace's insistence – and settling down, she was now laying on the sofa, head on Jace's lap who was now flipping through the TV channels carelessly, replying her worried mum's call on speaker.

'Have you missed anything?'

'I don't think so. But if we need anything else, we'll buy them here. There's a Tesco one block away.'

'Good to know. Did you get there safely?'

'Don't worry, mum. We're both safe and sound. All in one piece -'

'Did you get lost?'

'No, we didn't. We got there right away.'

Jace chuckled hearing her reply, both of them knowing too well that this conversation would last for an extra hour if Jocelyn knew the truth.

'Jaceypoo, you there?' Jace cringed at the old nickname while Clary snickered.

'Yes, aunt Jocie.'

'Take care of my daughter, will you?'

'I promise. Scout's honor.'

'You aren't even a scout,' interjected Clary, which was apparently ignored by both Jace and her mum.

'Thank you, Jace. You know how poor her self-management is.'

Clary rolled her eyes at her mum's statement. 'I could handle myself –'

'I know, right? Don't worry. Clary is in good hands.'

'MUM! You didn't just team up with this idiot!'

'I'm just worried, Clary dear. Take care of yourself, will you? And Jace too.'

'I will –' Clary stopped when she heard a giggle from the other side of the phone. _Did mum just giggle? Wait – was that a kiss?_

'Mum? Luke, you there?'

'Hi kiddo! How are you doing?' _Oh my god._ She knew Luke since she was a kid and Luke had been like a father to her since her dad died, though he didn't go out with her mum until two years ago. Jace placed his palm against his mouth, trying to muffle his laughter.

'I'm good. Thanks, Luke. You two _have fun_! A little brother would be great! If not, a baby sis will also do.'

At that, Jace laughed out loud and Clary could also hear a deep chuckle over the phone.

'Clary!'

'Mum, we're both adults. And I miss you two.'

'Miss you too, sweetie. Call me again tomorrow?'

'Sure thing! Bye mum!'

'Bye, Clary. And Jace too.'

'Bye Aunt Jocie!'

Clary sighed as she cut off the call. They just sat there, enjoying the comforting quietude that the night offered. Both were exhausted from the move in today, yet neither of them wanted to sleep yet despite how late at night it was.

'Hey Jace.'

'Huh?'

'The apartment is a bit large for the two of us, don't you think?'

Jace thought for a second, looked at her in the eyes and replied, 'Maybe. What's the matter?'

'I'm thinking about the extra bedroom…' mumbled Clary as she pondered.

'What about it?'

'Let's find ourselves a new roommate!'

'Roommate?'

'Yes, a roommate! He or she can take the third bedroom! What's an easier way to make money? Besides, more people more fun -'

The yellow orbs dimmed a bit, as if in slight disappointment, before quickly recovering as he interjected, 'A _she_. Fiery. _She_ can take the third bedroom.'

She feigned an irritated eye roll. 'You just want to get laid easily.'

He gasped melodramatically, 'Ouch! That really hurts. Is that what you think about me? I told you I've already sworn off casual hook-ups! Besides, does _this face_ and _this body_ look like they need a roommate to get some fun?'

'You're an idiot.'

'Nope, I'm sexy.' He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

'Oh yeah keep telling yourself that,' she shook her head with a snort. 'Anyway, so that's a yes?'

'Mhm, as long as it's a _she,'_ agreed Jace, the corners of his lips lifted up into a goofy smirk. 'Lemme draft up a notice soon!'

'Aww you're the best! What could I ever do without you?'

'I know, right? You're lucky to live with someone as gorgeous as me. Not everyone can handle this awesomeness, you know.'

Clary snorted and punched him at his arm lightly, 'One more word, my dinner will be on your shirt and all over the sofa.'

He snickered and stretched slightly, 'Alright, Jace out.'

Clary yawned, followed by Jace, as if it spread like an infection.

'I can't wait to meet our new roommate,' said Clary nonchalantly.

After a delayed second, Jace replied, 'Yeah, me too.'

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I've made some edits to this chapter. Probably will do to other chapters as well. Please tell me what you think about this new version!**

 **\- Kat xx**


	2. Chapter 2: New Friends and Old

**A/N:**

 **Hi readers! Thank you for everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorites! Chapter 2 is up. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clary was sitting beside Jace, bolting the croissant and coffee that they had bought in the café nearby for her breakfast. Jace was driving rather fast for her preference to their campus, humming along the Lost Stars played on the radio.

They originally planned to have a nice breakfast at the café before heading to the university, but the plan was gone when an unexpected guest decided to pay a visit in her dream – _and a nice dream at that_ , she thought, _until someone ruined it._

'Has anyone ever told you that you look like a lion with its prey when you eat? Scary face, loud noises and all,' japed Jace with a grin and received a death glare from the red head in return. 'You know, if you could actually listen to your alarm and –'

'You're the one to say! You just ruined my date with Aragon!'

'Aragon what – the greasy black hair dude who's old enough to be your dad? You missed our breakfast because of him, when yours truly here is way more handsome, not to mention have natural blonde hair? That's outrageous! An obnoxiously repugnant disgrace!'

'Jace.'

'Huh?'

'Stick to Music. English major doesn't work well with you. And there's no way you could compare to Aragon. Aragon is – WATCH OUT!' screamed Clary, startled by the car in front of them which they would have definitely crashed into if Jace hadn't braked at the last second.

Clary never really liked the seatbelts, because she found it too constricting. Yet, she wore it almost every time - experience had taught her that these things were really useful in spite of the irritation it caused her. This time, she couldn't be gladder about wearing it. Without it, her head would have hit the windshield for sure because of inertia. She looked at Jace immediately, eyes searching for any injury, as frantic voices came out from the two at the same time, 'You okay?'

It took them two seconds to register each other's question before they both nodded, shocked by the fact that they almost had a car crash but relieved that it's an _almost_ and no one was hurt.

 _Car crash_ , Clary thought, _barely seconds ago Jace and I were almost injured or even killed in a car – just like my father._ She hadn't thought about the accident for almost eight years. An accident that had haunted her for years in the past, at night and whenever she got onto a car. An accident which she still had a scar on her arm to prove it. It took her years to let the bygone be bygone with help from Jace and her family. For almost eight years, she was free from it – and she wasn't going to let it get hold on her now, she told herself in her mind.

'I'm so sorry, Clary. I didn't think -' said Jace worriedly as he grasped her left hand in his right, guilt flickering in his golden orbs. His eyebrows scrunched in concern, knowing very well what she was thinking just now.

A smirk appeared on her face as she replied in a joking tone, 'I told you so. Your driving is worse than mine.'

Jace paused for a second before he managed a smile despite the worry and guilt clouding him. 'Whatever you say, Fiery!'

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were at the parking lot of the University of Alicante. It was just as fascinating as Clary remembered from her visit last year. Beauty blended into the historical architecture with god knows how many years of history and contemporary facilities with sophisticated designs. What attracted Clary the most was the breath-taking landscapes which she was certain that she'd be spending a lot of time on drawing. Students were walking in all directions – many of them were probably freshmen like themselves, considering this was a day for orientation. Without surprises, her eye-catching friend was the center of attention of many students especially the female population. It was like high school all over again. Seeing the smug grin plastered on his face, Clary rolled her eyes. _He's definitely enjoying this a little bit too much_.

'Seems like we're having our orientation in different buildings," said Jace as he looked around at the signs. 'I'll meet you at around 6 then we can go grab some dinner before going home?'

'Yeah sure! I'll text you!'

'See you then! Try not to trip on yourself!'

'No worries! Try not to catch any STDs!'

Jace gave her his signature smirk in reply. Clary swore to Gandalf that she had definitely heard an "awwww" or two from the girls whose eyes were locked onto them the whole time.

* * *

The enormousness of the college started to lose its favor in Clary, when fifteen minutes later, the Department building was still nowhere in sight. Her memory of how she got there last year were lost in the labyrinthine pavements that she had wandered. Eyebrows furrowing and lips turning into a small pout, the emerald green orbs shifted left and right, seeking impatiently for that classical building.

'Hey there! Are you heading to the Visual Arts Department building?' It was a deep smoky voice with a _sexy_ French accent.

Clary turned around and looked at the owner of the voice that she'd gladly to set as the ringtone of her alarm. Standing in front of her was one of the most gorgeous and handsome men she had ever met. He had a tall, pale yet slightly muscular physique. With stunning black eyes, a perfectly carved face and jet black hair, he was like the dark prince in the fairytales she had read when she was young. _That voice was definitely his_.

'Oh I'm sorry. Didn't catch that. What did you just say?'

 _Oh god I didn't just say that out loud. Did I? That was embarrassing!_ 'I uh- I said yeah, I'm looking for that building. For the orientation, you know.' _Good save, Clary. Good save._

A grin spread across his face. 'Oh c'est bien! Me too! I'm Sebastian. Sebastian Verlac.' introduced _the gorgeous_ – _Sebastian,_ _I meant_ \- as he held out his hand.

'Clary. Clary Morgernstern.' She shook his hand with a smile.

'Clary,' he tested it out. _That French accent – get a grip of yourself, Clary!_ 'That's a beautiful name. Almost as beautiful as the girl herself.'

'T-thanks!' It took her great strength not to maintain the calm exterior, because currently the butterflies in her stomach was dancing like crazy – _well, it's not like you could hear these compliments every day_. She was forcing her blush down, hoping that her cheeks wouldn't be as red as her hair. 'So, you're in the program too? Visual Arts, I mean.'

'Yep! That building is real hard to find.' Clary nodded in agreement.

As if he had spotted it finally, he uttered aloud in joy, 'Come on! I think it's this way!'

* * *

As monotonous as the talk about the history of the Faculty was, the orientation passed by quickly with Sebastian's accompany. They chatted for the entire time. Turned out Sebastian was an American but had been living in Paris for almost his entire life, and currently he was staying in a campus residence hall. The only person he knew in NYC other than Clary was his cousin Aline, who's taking Music in Alicante as well. Clary mentioned to him about Jace and said jokingly that she hoped Aline wouldn't fall victim to his charm. She told him that she loved drawing because she loved creating, and he told her that he enjoyed painting more since he liked adding colors to the blank. They befriended a few more in the orientation - Julian, Emma and Maia. Julian and Emma were also from Los Angeles and were now residing in campus during their stay. They had known each other before entering Alicante. It was obvious to Clary that Julian really liked Emma, though Emma didn't seem to notice. Maia was a local New Yorker. She had a boyfriend named Jordon whom she was living in a rented apartment with.

* * *

During lunch time, her phone vibrated. A wide grin spread on her face when she saw the sender of the messages.

' _Hey fiery! How ya doing?' – J_

' _Did you trip feet with your shoelaces?' – J_

' _Did you get lost?' – J_

' _Do you miss the most gorgeous human being that the god has even blessed the world with, a.k.a. yours truly?' – J_

' _Most gorgeous human being. Really, Jace?' – C_

' _Don't roll your eyes. I know you're rolling your eyes. You should probably get rid of that habit. Have you heard that if you roll your eyes too much, they would actually turn inside out?' – J_

' _Jace =_=' - C_

' _How horrible would that be?' – J_

' _Enough Jace.' – C_

' _Enough? There could never be an enough when it comes to Jace.' – J_

' _One more word, I'll turn my phone off!' –C_

' _Anyway, you won't be able to imagine who I've met today!' – J_

' _Who? Your mancrush?' – C_

' _I don't have a mancrush – unless you count myself. But no.' – J_

' _Who then?' – C_

' _Someone we both know. I invited her to dinner by the way. She said she's gonna bring a friend too.' – J_

' _Whooooooooo?' – C_

' _You'll know tonight! ;) ' – J_

' _Ugh you're insufferable!' – C_

' _You love me anyway' –J_

' _Gotta go. See you later? xx' – C_

' _See you! xx' – J_

* * *

'Finally,' expressed Clary, excited that the orientation had finally ended. The afternoon was rather uneventful, though being with Sebastian and the others made it much more endurable.

Quickly texted Jace that she would be meeting him and his mysterious friend in the carpark, Clary then started packing her things, saying goodbye to some of her new friends who were leaving. An idea came to her. 'Hey Seb! Wanna grab some dinner with me and Jace? Jace said that he's bringing some friends that he met today too!'

'As much as I'd love to, I'm dining with Aline and her friends tonight. Rain check?'

'Sure! Tomorrow sounds good?'

'Excellent!' A delighted grin lit up his face and he suggested, 'Let me walk you to the carpark? I have to wait for Aline anyway.'

'Alright. Thanks!' She nodded in response as she walked out the building with Sebastian towards the carpark.

* * *

Clary spotted Jace right away when she arrived. He was standing next to his black Audi, though his friends was nowhere in sight.

'Hey Jace! Have you waited long?' asked Clary.

'Nah. Just arrived,' replied Jace, giving Sebastian a slightly unfriendly stare.

'Oh right! Jace, this is Sebastian. He's also majoring in Arts. And Sebastian, this is Jace,' introduced Clary.

Sebastian extended his hand and said, 'Well, nice to meet you, Jace!'

Jace gave his hand a shake, rather stronger and firmer than usual. 'I'd wish to say the same but not really.'

'Jace!' Clary glared at Jace before turning to Sebastian and said, 'Sorry Seb. He's an asshat sometimes.'

Sebastian laughed at the word choice. 'It's fine. No worries. Are you two together? I thought you two were friends.'

'Yeah we –'replied Jace before he was interrupted by a surprised 'What?' from Clary.

'We're just friends,' clarified Clary, puckishly elbowing Jace at his stomach, wincing a little at the contact. _Damn, since when did his abs get this hard?_

' _Best_ friends,' supplemented Jace, frowning a little.

Clary repeated with feigned reluctance, 'Yep, best friends. Witness of all his most embarrassing moments.'

'That's you, Fiery. I don't have any embarrassing moments.'

'Oh yeah? Remember the time you piss -'

'Are you sure you want to do this? I'm pretty sure I've some very interesting stories of you to share,' he squinted at her with a mischievous spark in the golden orbs.

 _This impossible idiotic bugger._

She huffed in defeat as he patted on her head and complimented mockingly, 'That's my good girl.'

Snappishly rolling her eyes, she pointed out sarcastically, 'While you might be taller, last I checked, I'm the mature one in the relationship. Right, Sebastian?'

'Oui, totally!' concurred Sebastian, who was snickering beside Clary, before developing into an out loud laughter when Jace retorted jokingly before joining, 'Keep telling yourself that, Fiery. Maybe one day it'll come true.'

Arms crossed like a petulant child, Clary cleared her throat and asked when the chortle faded, 'Anyway, speaking of friends, where is your mysterious guest?'

'She went back to pick something up – oh there she is!' Jace pointed at the figure who was walking towards them.

Tall with all the right curves, straight long black hair and beautiful Asian features – _familiar Asian features. She couldn't be…_

The girl greeted them with a smile, 'Hi all!'

Clary and Sebastian exclaimed at the same time, 'Aline?!'

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _ **'There could never be an enough when it comes to Jace.'**_ **That's right, Jace. You couldn't be more right.**

 **I hope that there aren't many grammatical mistakes, as I didn't really have the time to proofread it.**

 **So here we've got Sebastian and Aline. Even Maia, Jordan, Emma and Julian have stopped by and say hi. For those who're wondering where Sizzy and Malec are, no worries. They'll make their appearance soon! ;)**

 **\- Is Sebastian really what he appears to be?  
** **\- What is the history of Jace, Clary and Aline?  
** **\- Who'll be the roommate of Clary and Jace?**

 **Tell me what you think! :D**

 **Please review, follow or favorite! Constructive criticism/comments are welcomed!**

 **-Kat**


	3. Chapter 3: Wasted

**A/N:**

 **Hey readers! Chapter 3 is up finally. I'm sorry for taking so long to update but life has been hectic these days. College work just keeps coming and I doubt if it'll give me a break in the near future. I'll try to update at least once a week! Just in case if you can't see any updates a week later, I haven't abandoned the story. It's only because of school work.**

 **-Kat**

* * *

Clary was pulled away from her dream by one of her favorite scents. It was a heavenly odor, which Clary was absolutely certain that it came from none other than the world's best gourmet – coconut pancakes. Barely did she open her eyes unsuspectingly, a head-cracking migraine rushed and filled every space in her head. As if she had been ran over by a speeding truck – or had she actually experienced that? She wasn't sure. Her limbs were fine though. She seemingly recalled dancing in a club with dizzying lights and doing shots with Sebastian and Aline – why was she drinking with _Aline_ out of all people?

When Jace texted her about 'an old friend' that he had met, never had the thought of Aline came across her mind. Aline, the girl whom Clary hadn't seen for almost three years. The old friend whom Clary had lost contact with since she moved to Philadelphia with her family. The first and possibly the only legit girlfriend of Jace whom she could actually tolerate – the only one that wasn't a grade A bitch. In fact, Aline and she together with Isabelle used to hang out a lot in the past after Jace had introduced her as his girlfriend to them. Though, they sort of fell out when Aline broke up with Jace before leaving and broke his heart – he said that they had ended their relationship on good terms and that he wasn't heartbroken over her, but since then, he hadn't stayed with a girl for more than a month. Secretly deep down in her heart, Clary partially blamed Aline for her best friend player-ish ways, as unreasonable as she knew this may seemed. However, seeing him being so delighted at the carpark, Clary decided to cast that aside and gave her long-time-no-see friend a hug.

The dinner in Java Jones afterwards went well despite the occasional mean remarks Jace had made towards Sebastian – she made a mental note to herself that she was going to talk with Jace about that later. They caught up on what had happened in the past years and chatted about their new university life. Aline didn't look surprised when she told her that Isabelle was now dating Simon Lewis even though Simon was the 'King of Nerds' as Aline called him and Isabelle was well, Isabelle. But to be fair, Clary herself wasn't surprised either when the two made it official. Aline pointed out, 'Seriously, the sexual tension between the two was painfully obvious.' Jace was incredulous but Clary nodded followed by a fit of giggles. They even decided to chill out at a local club named 'Club Demon' or something – _not that it mattered_ , thought Clary, _but at least that explained the dizzying lights and all._

That was all she knew for sure. As for how she got those shots of alcohol in that club, she had no idea. She didn't remember coming home. She didn't recollect changing into her pajamas or going to bed, or Jace's bed in this case now that she had finally noticed. She was so disturbed by the pain pounding her skull that she didn't realize she wasn't in her own room until now. This, however, didn't shock her as they slept with each other literally many times since they were young. All she had about last night starting from the moment they stepped into that club were shattered memory fragments hidden among the striking hammers in her head.

She mumbled in irritation, 'Urgh, what the –'

'Good morning, fiery!' Walking into the room was Jace in his ruffled hair and an old T shirt with the words 'MISS ME?'. Handing Clary a glass of warm water, he asked, 'Nasty hangover?'

'Good observation, Sherlock!' replied Clary tiredly, gulping down a mouth of water. 'What happened last night?'

'You don't remember a thing?' asked Jace, trying to hold back a smirk.

Clary shook her head slowly, puzzled. 'I knew we went to a club after dinner, but that's all.'

'Oh how you've wounded my heart,' said Jace dramatically. 'You don't remember going to bed with me? Taking off your clothes? _Sleeping_ with me. I thought I was memorable.'

Clary stilled for a second before rolling her eyes. 'Come on, Jace! You say that every time I get drunk and wake up in your bed. It's getting old.'

'You did flirt with me though,' replied Jace, a smirk hanging at the corner of his mouth. 'You said I was "cute" and "like a shining god from heaven".'

'What?! I couldn't possibly have said that! You - urghhh!' Bright shades of red rushing to her cheeks, she hid her face behind her hands. _He's never going to let me live this down._

She emptied the water in the glass and rubbed circles at her temples, attempting to massage the pain away. Holding back an emerging nausea, she asked,'Seriously though, what happened last night? I don't remember a thing in that club after dinner – wait, we did go to a club, right?'

Jace nodded and suggested as he took the glass from her hands, 'Tell you over breakfast? I've made coconut pancakes. Your -'

'My favorite!' exclaimed Clary, the emerald orbs lightening up upon hearing the magic words. The headache was almost evicted completely, as her head was filled by the idea of coconut pancakes as breakfast instead. 'You're the best, Jacey-poo!' She gave him a quick hug and ran out to the living room. Jace shook his head slightly in amusement with a grin plastered on his face.

* * *

 _'Wanna do some shots?' asked Aline after they had sat down for a while, sipping nothing but carbonated drinks._

' _Haven't brought my fake ID with me,' replied Clary, eyebrows furrowing a little._ What a killjoy, _she thought._

' _Oh you can't drink here?' asked Sebastian._

' _The legal age of drinking is 21. It sucks, I know,' sighed Clary._

' _Oh no worries. I know the bartenders here,' said Aline._

'Of course _you do,' commented Jace. Clary knew from the smirk on his face that there was definitely more to the story._

 _Aline replied with the same smirk and asked again, 'So, is everyone in?'_

' _Sure!' replied Sebastian and Clary._

 _Jace thought for a while and said, 'I'll have just a little. Someone has to be the sober driver.'_

 _Clary saw Aline looking at Jace with an eyebrow raised and an amused look on her face, which Jace replied by rolling his eyes playfully. As brief as the exchange was, it hadn't gone unnoticed by Clary._ What's up with the two? It's been only a day. They haven't shagged in the janitor's office – or wherever that could be – have they? And what's wrong with the weird unfamiliar stirring sensation in my stomach? _She tried to shrug away the endless questions in her mind, leaving them as the hovering shadows at the back of her head just as they should have been._ Fun first, right?

 _Aline strolled to the table by the bar, spoke with the two bartenders there gleefully. One girl and one boy – they couldn't be much older than her. Clary could tell they're both beautiful people from afar. Apparently, Aline was close with the two. Soon after, she returned with a bottle of tequila and poured each of them a glass._

'S _anté,' said Sebastian with a grin._

' _Bottoms up!' said the other three as the four of them clinked their glasses before they emptied them all at once._

* * *

'- before the bottle of liquor's cleared, you were already sloshed. Completely wasted,' recounted Jace as Clary stuffed the pancakes into her mouth. The migraine was gone and the memory fragments were being pieced together into one in her mind. It wasn't clear but at least she had a vague idea of what she had done last night.

'If I hadn't stopped you and dragged you out, you'd have jumped up onto the table and sung "We are the Champion" aloud,' continued Jace teasingly. _He's definitely enjoying this a little too much._ 'And I'm not exaggerating. You did sing the first verse when I tried to take the glass from you.'

'Oh my god,' mumbled Clary as she hid her face behind her hands, as if the embarrassment would be hidden if she did that, though the lighthearted chuckle clearly told her the otherwise. 'That's so embarrassing. What will Sebastian think about me? We've just met yesterday. Oh crap.'

He paused for a second before suggesting mockingly, 'Idiot or nutjob, maybe?'

'You're not being helpful, Jace.' She shook her head with brows scrunched.

'Don't worry about him. As you said, you two just met yesterday. What does he matter? Besides, he wouldn't mind having a crazy friend when the said friend is cute and fabulous like you, okay? If he minds, who cares?' said Jace as he stood up and took the now empty plates to the sink. 'I don't really feel good about him anyway.'

'Why? He's nice and -'

'I uh- just a feeling.' He shrugged. The emeralds met the golds. There was something hidden in the melting gold that Clary couldn't quite point out what that was. 'Just stop thinking about it, alright? Now, go take a shower, rest for a while more or do what you do best. We'll have lunch then head to the campus – unless you want to skip the introductory courses. You know, you really do stink now, said Jace as his lips curled up into a smirk.

Clary shoved at him playfully. 'Thanks though, really.'

Jace ruffled her already frizzy carrot hair. 'What are friends for?'

* * *

As the bathroom door was closed, Jace went to wash the dishes. Despite having Sebastian in the picture, thinking about what happened yesterday night – the small scrap of memory which he decided to keep just to himself - still brought a smile to his face.

* * *

' _We're home. Don't move yet, okay?' said Jace as he unfastened the seat belt for Clary - who was drooling at the passenger seat, occasionally mumbling out a few hardly discernible words -though he knew she probably couldn't hear or understand what he's saying, judging from her state of intoxication._ Always a lightweight. _A smile hang on his lip without realizing it himself. He picked her up, carried her out of the car in bridal style and slammed the door shut. Two familiar slim arms wrapped around his neck as he walked towards the lift lobby. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck as she slurred, 'You know, Seb's reaaally nicee, annnd funny, and cuuute.'_

 _Jace was startled for a second, eyebrows furrowing as jealousy swelled up in his heart._ What's so good about him, that emo who can't even speak English properly? Does she really care about him that much? And most importantly, does she _like_ him? _The last person she spoke of in this way was Raphael, her ex-boyfriend._ _Jace didn't want to contemplate further. He knew what that may lead to. Even if she did like him, Jace knew it's not Sebastian he should hate but his own cowardice. He's too mortified by the possibility of losing her that he just couldn't confess to her the truth. He didn't know how to_ love _a person. He's afraid that he may just be like his parents, bringing hurt to the person he loved the most and driving them all away in the end. What's the point of being with someone you love when you couldn't bring her happiness - or worse, become the source of her sadness? She deserved better. She deserved every ounce of happiness in the world, and he'd do anything to give her that - just as she had given him every single reason to be happy - even if it meant Sebastian becoming the one who gave her the most happiness. His chest contracted tightly for a second at that ironic thought._ Don't be ridiculous _, he scolded himself in his mind._

' _Not asss cute as Ace, but he's still super duuper cute. Like the dark prince in those 'airytales,' continued Clary drunkenly. 'Maybe diffennnt kinda cute? Jace always says he's from 'eaven. Ya know, like those shiny gods in the clouds. Those flowy marshmallows.'_

 _Jace chuckled at her barely audible nonsense as he pressed the button, waiting for the lift to descend._ Just like an adorable little kitten _. He wondered if she'd remember what she had said by tomorrow._

' _He's an aaaass though. Always says mean things to people. Breaks girls' hearts. Make you 'hink he doesn't care about people. But he does. He's still the boy 'hat got me to the nurse when I scraped my knee. It hurt. But he made it go away. Like a wizard. Puff! Gone! I 'ope I could be a wizard for him too. I hope he won't leave me.'_

 _He tightened his hold on her at that. How could she ever worry about that? What could he ever do without her? Without the only thing he was sure about – the only constant in his life?_ _'No worries, fiery,' he whispered, despite knowing she couldn't really hear what he said, 'I'll always be here for you, even if you don't need me anymore.'_

 _After that, she didn't utter any more words until they got home. Half awake, she changed into her jammies with help from Jace. When he put her to bed, she muttered, eyes remaining closed, 'Stay, Jace. Dun wanna stay here alone.' He stared at her as millions thoughts flew past his mind. He nodded and carried her to his room. After taking a quick shower, he went to his bed quietly, subtly slipped under the covers and lied down beside her, not wanting to wake her up. As if sensing his presence, the redhead scooted closer, her back facing him. He placed his arm across her waist and held her closer - just like they had done millions times before – falling into deep slumber soon after._

* * *

Jace jolted awake from his lost in thoughts as the phone in his pocket vibrated. It was a new message from Aline.

' _Hey Jace! Didn't you say that you two are looking for a roommate? My landlord is selling the apartment and I'm now looking for a new one. Could you help me out? xx' - A_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **In this chapter, I tried to tell a little bit more on the dynamics between Clace and who Aline is (no surprises here). I've also include a peek on Jace's thoughts - I didn't plan on revealing that this soon, but without it, I can't seem to explain what happened during and after their night out without making it confusing. Sizzy also made an appearance - sort of - but there'll be more in the future.**

 **\- Is Aline going to be their new roommate? Or will there be someone else?  
\- Are Aline and Jace just friends now? Is there more to the story - or will there?  
\- Is there another side of Sebastian, or it's just Jace's jealousy speaking?**

 **What do you think? Tell me in the reviews! :D**

 **Shout out to** Debra Williams, Shauna Kullden, CuriousMidnightFantasy, Zoe0405, Page1of365 **and** guest **! Thanks for the reviews! I can't tell you enough how happy that made me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **\- Kat**


	4. Chapter 4: Hi New Rommie

**A/N** **:**

 **Hi readers! I haven't abandoned this story and I swear I don't want to take so long to post - but college got in the way. And I'm so, so, so sorry. I didn't have time to do any proofreading so sorry for any mistakes made. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **\- Kat**

* * *

'She said she'll arrive in 5 minutes.'

Looking up from the sketchbook which she had been working on for almost the entire morning, Clary's eyes followed the tall blonde hair boy who was walking out from his room to the living room. He sat down on the sofa right next to Clary. Apparently, he was on the phone with Aline just now.

'Oh cool!' replied Clary with a grin.

It had been 2 weeks since Jace had received the message from Aline. The message that he showed her shortly after she got out of her post-hangover shower. She had given an immediate, big yes after the brief rapid debate in her mind. She didn't have a reason not to. She was the one who suggested to look for a roommate to fill the extra room. Who could be a better choice than someone they had known before and could both get along with? Despite the not so pleasant farewell they had three years ago, their 'reunion' night out was fun. Having Aline was better than living with a _kleptomania obsessed with collecting rubber ducks_ – Jace's words –or a potential serial killer searching for new victims, right? Clary shuddered at the thought. _Yep, definitely way better._

Izzy, however, didn't sound so pleased when she told her and Simon on Skype that night.

' _What?!' Clary mirrored Simon's wince at Izzy's high pitch exclamation. It was certainly loud enough to wake their neighbors. Sitting beside Izzy, Simon massaged his right ear, probably trying to relieve the pain._ Poor old Simon.

' _Tell Izzy to tune down her voice! It's hurting my eardrum even from here,' shouted Jace from the kitchen while washing the dishes. Clary chuckled as Izzy rolled her eyes._

 _Izzy lowered her voice and said again, 'Aline, really?'_

 _Clary nodded and replied, 'Yeah, we – '_

' _As in Jace's ex?' interrupted Izzy._

' _Yeah – '_

' _His only legit girlfriend whom we had sleepovers with back in ninth grade?'_

' _Uh yeah – '_

' _The girl who dumped him when she moved away?'_

' _Yeah, but Jace said - '_

' _They ended on good terms. I know,' said Izzy agitatedly._

' _Chillax, Izzy,' suggested Simon as draped his arm over her shoulder, giving it a squeeze._

' _Wow. I haven't met her for ages!' exclaimed Izzy, apparently ignoring what Simon had said._

' _Me too. Until yesterday.' Clary shrugged, still amused at her best girlfriend's reactions and her two best friends' interactions._

' _You sure you're fine with that?' asked Izzy. That plucked a string in her mind._ Was she fine with it? She didn't have a reason not to. Or was there? If there wasn't, what's up with these annoying second thoughts?

' _Sure!' replied Clary, after an almost unobservable hesitation. 'What's wrong?'_

' _I mean, it's_ Aline _we're talking about! Jace's ex-girlfriend!'_

' _And so…?' Clary questioned in a confused voice._

' _Don't you like him?' asked Izzy, rolling her eyes. Simon watched the exchange quietly with an amused expression._

' _Of course –'_

' _I mean ''_ like'' _like. Not just like.'_

' _He's my best friend, Izzy,' Clary reminded._ What's with all these questions?

 _Izzy rolled her eyes again. '_ You're not answering my question', _Izzy wanted to say, but she decided to go with 'Ugh whatever. Herondale and I are gonna have a talk.'_

 _As if on cue, Jace walked in as he dried his wet hands on his pants. 'I heard my name. Are you ladies – yes, you included, Si - worshipping my god-blessed handsome face? And by the way, where's Alec?'_

' _Alec went out just now. He said he'll be back later,' responded Izzy. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she continued, 'Alright. Give us a moment, Clary?'_

' _Izzy –'_

' _Come on. Pretty please, with a cherry on top?' begged Izzy, flicking her eyelashes as Simon laughed in the background._

'… _Fine.' Clary threw her hands up in surrender and went to the living room._

 _She didn't know what they had talked about in that 10 minutes. When she came back, Izzy didn't press her about Aline anymore. Izzy's thoughts about Aline moving in with them was unreadable. But since Izzy didn't bother her about it, Clary decided not to bring it up nor ask them what they had discussed. They chatted and laughed for the rest of the night. Just like the old times._

Peeking at Clary's sketchbook, Jace commented dramatically, 'Oh I'm disappointed! I thought you were drawing the _incredibly_ gorgeous me!'

' _Incredibly_ pompous you,' retorted Clary sarcastically as she closed her book. 'Anyway, does Aline need our help to get her things up?'

'Nah. Lucky her. The lift is functioning perfectly fine today.' He scratched his head slightly before continuing, 'You're fine with her moving in, right?'

'Yeah sure! Why wouldn't I be?' _People had been asking me this question way too many times_ , she thought. 'Just close the door and keep the noise down if you're really shagging up with her,' said Clary jokingly, stretching her arms a bit.

Jace looked bemused. 'I'm not –'

He was interrupted by the ringing of doorbell. 'Just kidding,' grinned Clary, quickly sticking her tongue out, as they both got up and went to open the door. Standing outside was none other than Aline – and Sebastian, who was helping Aline transfer some of her things to here.

'Bonjour, belle fille! And Jace too, of course!' greeted Sebastian as Aline said, 'Hello!'

'Oh hi. That's fast,' replied Jace. He didn't sound as happy as he looked. Clary, on the other hand, blushed a little. _He just called me beautiful. Chill, Clary, chill._ Smiling, she invited, 'Come on in!'

Jace and Sebastian carried Aline's luggage in as Clary showed Aline around the apartment and her room.

'It looks great,' said Aline enthusiastically, 'A bit different from when I came here last week though.'

'Oh yeah, Jace and I decorated a bit. It was too blank and dead.'

Sebastian commented, 'The beige and blue combination looks nice.'

'I know, right?' said Jace as he put down a suitcase in Aline's room, smirking. 'We picked it.'

'We did!' affirmed Clary, grinning. Decorating their apartment had been a lot of fun.

After settling down, Sebastian proposed, 'Let's have lunch first, shall we? Clary and I are having lectures in the afternoon.'

'Java Jones, anyone?' suggested Aline. Clary nodded immediately in response. The food there was heavenly.

'Sure! I'll drive!' Jace agreed as he handed Clary her jacket.

'Shotgun!' Clary proclaimed excitedly, putting on the jacket and grabbing her bag.

It didn't take long before they arrived at the restaurant.

* * *

Clary was beyond exhausted by the time she strolled towards the carpark with Sebastian. He said he'd be occupied for the night, but Clary was glad that he offered to walk her to the carpark where Jace would pick her up at. History of Arts for 3 hours. The professor was pushing her limits. She enjoyed taking the Arts course. She liked the Practical sessions. And she loved Arts. But sitting in the lecture hall for 3 hours? It wasn't something she preferred in a Thursday afternoon.

Clary stretched her arms a bit and yawned. _Absolutely exhausting._ 'Aren't you tired?' she questioned, looking at Sebastian who looked perfectly relaxed and comfortable _._

Sebastian laughed. 'I'm fine. Prof. Branwell was actually pretty humorous.'

'Really?' said Clary incredulously, 'I must have missed his humor when I skipped into dreamland just now.'

'You must have. With drool flooding the table and all,' replied Sebastian jokingly.

Clary snorted with laughter and shook her head. 'That'd be Jace. I don't drool,' said Clary. She thought, a _nd if Jace's here, he'd say 'girls drool because of me, but I don't drool'. Yep, he'd definitely say that._

Sebastian laughed. 'I have a question to ask you by the way.'

'Yeah?'

'You and Jace aren't together, right? I mean, like dating each other?'

That took her by surprise. Almost choked by her own saliva, she repeated in bewilderment, 'Jace? No, we are best friends. Where did that come from?'

'Just confirming,' replied Sebastian, a charming grin plastering on his face, 'but that's good, 'cause I've been wanting to ask you out.'

'Me?' Clary could feel the blood rushing up to her face. _Calm down, Clary, calm down. Don't scream…_

'Yup. You and me. Next Friday. Eight 'o clock. You up for it?'

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. For Gandalf's sake, he actually did ask that. He did, didn't he? A date with Sebastian. That's f- calm down, Clary. Don't freak out. Don't freak out_ yet _._

While her brain was turning into mush, she forced out,'Y-yeah, sure!' _Don't stammer, Clary. Act normal. Act - '_ N-next Friday, eight 'o clock, right? G-great.' _Oh great. Really. Just, great. I was stammering like an idiot._

Sebastian chuckled. _He just chuckled – while I was freaking out silently. Oh god. I must be looking like an idiot now._ He said, 'Great! I - oh hey, Jace!'

 _Thank god._ Clary looked around and saw Jace standing next to his car – _when did they arrive here?_ He gave a 'hi' in reply. _Her savior from having a heart attack._ She turned to Sebastian again and said, 'So s-see you next Friday?'

'Tomorrow,' he corrected, his pearly white teeth showing. 'We've got lessons in the morning, right?'

'Right! See you then!'

'See you!' Sebastian said, the grin never leaving his face, as he turned and headed towards the campus residence area.

It was then Clary could sigh in relief. Her own infatuation was getting on her nerves.

'What was _that_?' questioned Jace. 'You're exceptionally jumpy.'

'Huh? Me, jumpy? Never.'

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her in the eyes. Obviously he didn't bought a word of it.

'I'll tell you on our ride back,' she promised, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

He shook his head and smiled. 'Get in the car. Aline has prepared dinner. I'm starving!'

'Aye-aye captain!' Clary giggled as she fastened her seat-belt and relaxed in the comfy leather. She had a huge crowd of crazily intoxicated butterflies in her stomach to tame.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **So that's it! Personally I don't think there isn't much surprise in this chapter. Things may go differently in the coming ones though. What do you think?**

 **\- Any thoughts on Sizzy?  
\- And thoughts on Clary going on a date with Sebastian?  
** **\- How may Jace take the news?** **  
**

 **Tell me what you think! I love reading your comments and ideas!**

 **Shout out to** Zoe0405, Page1of365, BrunetteAngel12, xoanneox, Debra Williams, Guest, AFineMess101 **and** Little Mix **! You guys are awesome!  
**

BrunetteAngel12 **: Thanks for your review! I can't tell you how much it motivated me to finish writing it soon. And bingo on the roommate part! Not much surprise here though. Interesting ideas about Jace/Aline's relationship and Sebastian. Maybe some are right. Or maybe the future chapters will come out as surprises for you. No spoilers here! :P I hope you enjoyed this one too!**

AFineMess101: **Glad you liked it! And interesting guesses you have here! Guess you'll find out if you're right or not in the coming chapters (because I'm evil haha :P). I tried to update as soon I could but college was just too much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! :)**

Zoe0405: **Glad you liked it!** **I enjoyed writing a drunk Clary as well! She's so adorable! (I hope that I got it right! :P) Thanks for your review!**

Debra Williams: **Thanks for keeping up with the story and leaving your comments! I hope you liked this one too!**

xoanneox: **Thanks for your review!** **I admit it's quite predictable and there hasn't been much surprises in this chapter either. But now that the background story is up, there'll be more plot to play with. I hope you liked this chapter! Do tell me what you think about it! :)**

Page1of365: **Thanks for your review! I hope you thought the same of the new one too!**

Little Mix: **Thanks for your review! Sebastian didn't get to be the roommate of Clary and Jace, but he asked Clary out on a date though! As for Raphael, he'll make an appearance again in the coming chapters! Hope you liked it!**

Guest: **Thanks for your review! I hope you enjoyed reading this one too!**

 **\- Kat**


	5. Chapter 5: Overreacted

**A/N:**

 **Hello readers! :D**

 **I had a little bit of time (I've got a few day-offs yay!) so I continued writing the story. It's shorter than previous chapters, because the time I had is really _little,_ and if I post it after finishing writing all, I'm not sure how long you'll have to wait. But anyway, less is better than nothing, right? Hope you enjoy it!**

 **\- Kat**

* * *

Sitting in the moving car, Clary replayed what had just happened with Sebastian in her mind over and over again like watching the latest Ed Sheeran video on Youtube - except for this time, she didn't want to hit the 'like' or 'replay' buttons till the mouse worn out, but slip on the One Ring and disappeared from the Earth immediately instead. Maybe if her hair was as wild as that when she woke up in the morning, it could shield her from the overloading embarrassment – _nope, that would simply be hideous. Why did I have to stutter like an idiot? How –_

'Are you having a bowel problem?' That broke her from her train of thoughts.

She turned her head and faced Jace, who was driving home. _What did he just say?_ 'Huh?'

'I asked if you're having a bowel problem,' repeated Jace, smirking mockingly. 'You know, with eyebrows scrunched, a painful facial expression and hair pulling.'

'I- '

'It's totally fine. Just don't poo in my car.'

Clary rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile sneaking to her face unnoticed by herself. 'Very funny, my dear friend. And no worries, if I do have one, I won't simply shit in the car, but on you directly.'

'That's just gross,' he snorted amusedly. 'Anyway, what happened back in the carpark? Did Sebastian confess his sock fetish to you?'

'What? No-'

'Did he tell you that he's a closet gay? I always thought he has a crush on me. I knew it!'

'Good imagination, Jace,' said Clary. 'But not everything's about you.'

'Still, you have to admit, many things are about me.'

'Ha! I wouldn't bet on it.'

He shook his head slightly, grinning. 'You still haven't answered my question though. What happened?'

Distracted by the ridicule, she almost forgot about the embarrassment until now. _Almost_. She gabbled, 'I uh- Sebaskedmeoutonadate.'

'Come again? I don't speak alien.' He glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the road.

She wondered why she herself was so nervous. Probably because the number of dates she went on since she broke up with her boyfriend for 2 years could be counted with one hand only. _Yup, that's definitely it. And maybe also because Sebastian was too charming to start with? Maybe._ She didn't know. It didn't actually matter anyway. She took a breath and tried to enunciate each word clearly, 'I said, Sebastian asked me out on a date.'

She anticipated a burst out of laughter.

But nothing came.

Silence.

One.

Two.

Three.

'What?!' The car sped up – likely to be a result of Jace's shock upon hearing the news. Clary winced briefly in response. Luckily there wasn't any car moving close to theirs. 'I must have heard wrongly. Did you just say that Potter-wannabe asked you out?'

'Umm yes?' Clary nodded hesitatingly. She thought for a second and retorted indignantly, 'What? You don't have to act so surprised! Unlike what you think, there is actually someone who's interested in me!'

'I-I didn't mean like that!' stated Jace, glancing quickly between Clary and the road from the windshield.

Clary glared at him, raising both of her eyebrows – _damn my inability to raise one only_. Tension built up in the silence before Jace broke it again a few seconds after. 'You didn't say yes, right? Please tell me you didn't agree to go.'

Clary stared at him bewilderedly as blood raced up to her cheeks. _What the heck's wrong with him?_ 'I- of course I said yes! What's wrong with you?'

The car pulled into an abrupt halt – _since when did we arrive at the parking garage?_ Jace's fingers fumbled a bit when he unfastened his seatbelt. 'What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you! Clary you haven't even known the guy for a month!'

Clary followed suit, grabbed her bag and got out from the car, harshly shutting the door. Raging toward the lift in long strides, she yelled, 'A month! Said the douchehat who hooked up with a new slut every week! It's not like I haven't gone on dates before!'

'That was-'

'- that was in highschool, I know. But I didn't judge you! Who are you to judge me? Hypocrite much?'

'That's…' Hurt flashed across his face and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried hard to respond to her accusation.

 _Have I gone too far?_ Clary pondered as the lift elevated from the garage level to the fifth floor. In other situations, she'd have gloated for rendering the _great Jace Herondale_ – _his words, not mine –_ speechless. She'd have rejoiced in victory for winning him in an argument. But seeing his conflicted expression, her heart dropped. She didn't want to hurt him. _Why am I feeling guilty now? I'm not the one who starts this fight. I didn't -_

'T-that's different. They knew what they're getting into. They didn't care,' he finally replied whisperingly, when the lift dinged. His voice got louder, as if he suddenly knew what he wanted to say or had finally found his temporarily lost courage back. 'And you, this date is different, isn't it? You actually like him. You can't just rush into a date blindly and give your heart to him when you barely know the guy!'

'I know him well enough that I could trust him! He's nothing but nice and friendly to me, to us!'

Their apartment door opened suddenly and came into view was a cheerful Aline. 'Oh hey guys. Dinner's ready.'

As if he hadn't heard Aline, Jace retorted sarcastically, 'Oh because you're so good at making judgement about people? Don't you remember what happened last time with Raphael? That's not what I heard when you came to me and cried about him the whole night!'

Her face paled at the mention of _his_ name.

'Screw you Jace.'

Then she furiously pushed open the door to the stairs, and stomped off in a fit of fury.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Woooo a cliffy (sorta)! :P**

 **What do you think? Like it? Hate it? What do you think may happen next?**

 **Shout out to all who have reviewed (You know who you are :D)! You all motivate me to update asap. I love reading your comments. I really do! So p** **lease do tell me your feedback and opinions/predictions on this chapter or the whole story in general!**

 **\- Kat**

 **A/N:**

 **BrunetteAngel12:** **Thanks for pointing out the mistakes.:D**

 **I posted the chapter once I finished writing and didn't have much time to do proofreading. So everyone, please bear with me with the grammatical mistakes and crap for now. I'll fix them once I've got the time! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Glitter

**A/N:**

 **Hello readers! I'm so so sorry for my long absence. Life got busy and I got lazy. The writer block ain't helping either. Just wanna say thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites. Your words mean a lot to me, really. I'm back - for now and for good, hopefully. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please tell me what you think in the reviews!**

 **\- Kat :) Happy 2k17!**

* * *

Eyebrows knit into a knot, Clary almost tripped on her own feet in her haste to stomp down the stairs to the lobby. She was momentarily relieved that she wasn't at the top of the stairs in her almost-fall – her chicken legs never carried her too far away at such speed without involving her in some kinds of accident. Guess what adrenaline and blinding anger can do to a person.

'Stupid feet! Stupid stairs! Stupid Jace –'

Her grumble was cut short by impact from a wall. _How short-lived the adrenaline-induced luck was._

'Ouch!'

 _Eh? Since when could walls groan?_ Clary took a step back and looked up - _damn the lack of height –_

 _-_ it was glitter. Way too much glitter. _So much glitter that if the sun disappeared and all the lights were mysteriously sucked out from the earth one day, the only person that can be seen in the dark is this sparkling being in front – does that even make sense? Glitter shines from light reflection - ugh whatever. How did this even come across my mind? I'm not good at science. Never have been. Whacky brain. Must have been damaged from the impact, or the adrenaline._

'I know that I'm _magnificent,_ but close your mouth, biscuit, you'll catch flies.' This brought Clary out of her trance.

'Huh?'

'Stunned by the glitter, eh? Don't worry, biscuit, it happens. You know a wise old man once said, " _Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to put on the glitter_." Brilliant, right?'

Clary gave an amused chuckle, voicing out thoughtlessly, 'You'd look well with rainbow and unicorns.'

'You don't say,' the man grinned – for a moment, Clary almost thought his eyes sparkled like a cat's, but then her imagination and mind had been running wild these days – 'I'm Magnus Bane, the _magnificent_.'

In these few seconds, Clary had mentally made two conclusions about this Magnus person:

One, he took 'becoming the center of spotlight' to a whole new level. He could literally outshine any others in any room.

Two, he had the best sense of humor and was definitely one of the sassiest person Clary had ever met.

In short, she adored him. _He and Alec would make a perfect pair of couple_ , Clary suddenly mused.

'Clary Morgenstern, the umm… just Clary, from LA. Oh and I live on the 5th floor!' replied Clary as she shook his outstretched hand. 'Sorry for bumping into you. I didn't watch where I was going.'

'Nah it's fine. Who doesn't want to put a hand on this fabulous glitter?' teased Magnus, as he took the bags of groceries that Clary helped him pick up. 'I'm staying on one floor below yours by the way. Just moved in yesterday. Haven't even finished unpacking.'

'Oh lemme help you,' Clary offered, catching the bag that was falling from his hold and was about to hit the ground.

'Thanks, biscuit. Chairman Meow refuses to take my advice on dieting, making the bags hella heavy to carry,' he said as they entered the lift. Judging from the _enormous_ amount of cat food in the bag, Clary guessed Chairman must be a cat – and a fat one at that.

* * *

To Clary's slight surprise, Magnus' living room wasn't as colorful as his personality, but was, instead, in a white-grey-black chrome with a contemporary style. Though Clary bet a week or so later when he settled down, it would look much different– at least much glitterier,to start with. On sofa laid a fur ball – _presumably the Chairman that Magnus was talking about_ – that uncurled upon hearing the noise at the door, narrowed its eyes at the red-haired stranger and responded with an uninterested yawn. Under its paws were some paper and drafts that were also spread messily across the table.

'Majoring in fashion design?' Clary sat down on the other side of the sofa that wasn't occupied by Chairman.

'Used to. Dropped out last year because my parents cut me off completely – apparently being a freewheeling bisexual didn't meet their expectation at all –'

'That's ridiculous! They are the disappointing ones to think like that.'

'I know, right? Anyway, after that, I didn't have enough money to continue, but I didn't see the point of continuing either. So now I'm working my ass off as a costume designer in a small movie production company. My boss is a pain in the ass – trust me, one day I'm gonna fire him when I earn enough money and acquire the company. But for now, beggars can't be choosers. Beer?'

'Sure, thanks!' At the untimely moment she opened the bottle of beer, her stomach grumbled loudly in complaint of mistreatment.

'Oh my god,' her voice was muffled as she hid her face with embarrassment, but then couldn't help joining Magnus in his burst of laughter.

'Well, I've just finished dinner outside, but I do have some leftover Moo Shu Pork in the fridge. Want me to heat it up for ya?'

Clary nodded. 'Thanks! Sorry for bringing you so much trouble –'

'No worries, biscuit. This is for comparing me with unicorns. Unique and _magnificent_ creatures, don't you think?' As if in agreement, the cat meowed and stretched a bit before going back to – _well, whatever it's supposed to be doing_. 'And you did seem a bit distressful just now in the lobby. Lost your wallet somewhere?'

Clary sighed,' I- it's complicated.'

'Try me. I've been told to be an excellent listener.'

* * *

'So you're saying you ran away because your boyfriend –'

'- best friend.'

Magnus raised an eyebrow with an amused expression and continued, 'Okay, best friend - who lives under the same roof with you, joins at hip with you since birth _and_ probably knows you better than yourself - objected you from going on a date with a guy, albeit a _very sexy one_ as you desecribed, that you've only known for less than a month?'

Munching the life-saving god-send meat, Clary nodded. 'More or less.'

'Obviously, it's either jealousy speaking, or he's just super-protective over you -'

'Jace doesn't get jealous. He rarely did. Trust me. If you had met him, you'd have known. Girls flocked to him.' She rolled her eyes. 'And don't you think it's a bit hypocritical of him to judge me for agreeing to a date with a guy that I am actually interested in while the number of girls he had been with is more than that I can count with my hands?'

Magnus chuckled meaningfully and rolled his eyes. 'He's over-reacting, that's for sure. As for the why, biscuit dear, I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you that. However, considering the fact that you came out from a pathetically failed first relationship a year ago and hadn't seen anyone since then, I'd say it may be reasonable to be a tad bit more careful – careful is so not my style and a month is certainly not a short time for me, but you're not me, dear.'

Clary sighed wearily. 'So you think it's wrong for me to get angry at him?

'Well, the running away act is a bit dramatic, but, he does deserve to worry for slashing out at you and bringing up an ex like that.'

'Worry? I don't think so. He's probably – '

'Believe me, he must be. I don't have to meet the guy to be certain about that.'

'So I –'

'Yeah, go home, make up, _make out_ or whatever,' Magnus smirked, 'you know what I mean.'

* * *

Clary bite on her nails nervously outside her apartment, pondering what to say to Jace once she opened the door. _Apologize to him? Shout at him and continued the argument?_ Now that she thought about it, she had an urge to turn back, knocked on Magnus' apartment door again and shamelessly asked for an overnight stay – _doesn't sound too shitty comparing to the other two options, eh?_ Despite the brewing second thoughts, her hands uncontrollably pushed open the door.

'Thank god, you two are back. The pizza is – ' Aline frowned upon seeing a confused Clary at the door. 'Clary? Where've you been? Where's Jace?'

'Huh? I don't know…'

'He said he was going out to look for you. Hadn't even finished his first slice of pizza,' said Aline worriedly, 'I messaged both of you, but none of you replied - '

'Wait, let me call him.' Biting on her bottom lip as she attempted to calm her heart that was being eaten by the creeping uneasiness and guilt, Clary quickly hit the virtual buttons on her phone, praying that Jace would pick up his phone as soon –

'" _The number you've dialed cannot be reach at the moment. Please leave a – "'_

'- shit. I-I should…I should go find him,' she stuttered, her mind running thousand miles a second. 'Stay here, Aline. Call me when he gets back!'

Without waiting for her confirmation, Clary turned around and sped out of the apartment, way faster than when she stomped down the stairs in rage an hour ago.


	7. Chapter 7: Where Are You Now

**A/N :**

 **Hello lovely people! Have you watched the show Shadowhunters? Seems like many people are mad that the producers have made so many changes from the book - especially *spoiler alert*thepartwherejocelynwaskilled. But I don't know, to me, it's not all that bad - I mean, the acting may need some improvements, but there wouldn't be much surprises if they followed the book exactly. What do you think?**

 **Oh and I've been listening to Alan Walker recently. _Faded_ is amazing - it's out like a year ago, I know. But seriously, if you haven't heard of it, go listen to it. **

**Anyway, I happened to have a short holiday. So yay! Chapter 7 is up! Hope you all enjoy it!**

 **-Kat**

* * *

' _Clary! Clary – thank god! Finally found you,' exclaimed the seventeen-year-old blond in relief, as he dashed towards the tree where under it sat a red haired girl_ _in her little black dress hugging her knees, in spite of the hammering in his head as a result of hangover_ _. It was on top of the small hill they had near their houses back in Los Angeles,_ _one that she often frequented when she's upset._ _'Have you been here all night?'_

 _Eyes bloodshot fighting back tears, she_ _didn't look up but_ _gave a tired and silent nod_ _anyway_ _, teeth biting on her lower lip almost drawing blood – she didn't trust herself to speak._

 _They were having a party at Jace's house last night – organized by Izzy, of course – because his dad was away for business travelling and also because his house was the biggest among them all. As expected from Izzy, all of their friends, almost the entire form and even some people from the neighboring school were invited. It was one hell of a party filled with booze, music and teenagers dancing and making out. Jace couldn't recall when he had passed out, but by the time he woke up next to a brunette in only underwear, and himself clothed – much to his relief - it was already 5 am. He staggered towards the kitchen for a glass of water and Advil in attempt to sooth his headache. The kitchen and the living room was in disarray with red cups on the floor and drunk teenagers sleeping on the couch. Despite how much it went against his OCD, he decided to leave them alone and go back to sleep, but was halted, face twisting into a scowl in disgust, when he saw Raphael, Clary's jerk of a boyfriend for more than a year whom he barely tolerated for her sake, lying on his sofa – legs currently tangled with those of a tanned leggy blonde. It took him all his restraint to keep from punching the cheating scumbag to death, which he would probably have failed had he not realized that there was no sight of Clary. He ran up to the guest room that was reserved for Clary years ago whenever they had sleepovers - not without first giving Raphael a broken nose - only to find it empty. After an hour of searching, he finally spotted her on the hill at the back of his house._

 _'Oh fuck. It's six o' clock. What happened? Was it Raphael?'_

 _Clary shivered, leaning her face to her knees. She wasn't sure if it was a reflex upon hearing_ his _name, or it was simply because the sudden surge of wind. Jace took off his jacket, laid it on her shoulders and sat down next to her, hugging her to his chest. Despite the fact that this position was less than comfortable, Clary found comfort burying her head in his chest._

 _'Fiery, you're freezing,' his chest vibrated as he spoke, 'wanna talk about it?'_

 _Tears welled up in her eyes together with her mess of emotions as she slightly shook her head. One frustrating tear fell off from her orbit, trailing down her cheeks and landing on his shirt. Others then followed._

 _'Hey hey hey! It's fine. It sucked, I know, but you'll be fine,' he said, his hands gently lifting her chin up, his palms wiping the spilled tears and smudged mascara off from her reddened cheeks from crying. 'I'll be here for you any time you need me, okay?'_

* * *

'Shit!' Clary cursed as she frowned at the leaden rain that had barely damped her curly red mess of hair before she stepped inside the lobby, paying no attention to the undisguised stare and unimpressed head shake from an old lady who was passing by on the pedestrian road outside the apartment building.

 _Since when did the rain start? It had been a freaking dry and sunny day for god's sake! Was it raining when Jace went out? Had he taken an umbrella with him? Damn the weather! Damn global warming and the polar bears killers!_

Her mind was a total mess as she repeatedly pressed the button for the lift, before immediately deciding that it would be way faster to hurry down the stairs to the garage instead of waiting for the lift that seemed forever stuck on the second floor.

 _Double shit._ It didn't take her a minute to find his car remaining perfectly still at the spot where they had left it an hour ago. This meant Jace hadn't taken the car with him when he left the building. With her fumbling fingers, she struggled to unlock the car with the spare remote key that Jace had given her and opened the door on the driver's side. Two dry, unused umbrellas are tucked in the lower compartment on the interior door trims – one on each side. _Triple shit, congratulations._ She swiftly grabbed one and shut the door at a force that Jace would definitely cavil at nonstop for the entire day for ' _hurting his precious baby_ ', had he been here to witness the act, hastening out to the street without a second glance.

* * *

 _It's a completely freaking wild goose chase! How am I supposed to know where to look when I've been here in this busy city for barely a month?_ Her mind reeling, Clary scurried around on the pedestrian road like a headless chicken searching for the blonde boy, ignoring the passersby that she may had unintentionally brushed past (and the swear words that followed). The splattering of incessant and increasingly tempestuous rain on her umbrella did nothing to help but intensified her worry. Under the wind, her umbrella wasn't particularly helpful either as her cardigan and Henley shirt were now partially soaked, not to mention her socks that were squeezing out water every time her sneakers were pressed against the ground.

Clary stopped at the nearest bar, barged in and eyed around. 'Have you seen a man this tall with blonde hair and amber eyes?' she asked the bartender, who was apparently stunned by her abrupt entrance and question. He shook his heavily gelled head in response, 'Sorry, girl – wait, I think a blond man did come in half an hour ago asking about a redhead –'

'Hey gorgeous! Looking for a tall handsome blond?'

Clary turned around eagerly. Facing her was an evidently tipsy black-haired guy who looked about her age – she wouldn't be surprised if she bumped into him in campus one day – standing in front of the table that sat his equally drunk friends, one of which was giving the group of girls who just entered the bar a cat call. 'I ain't no blond, but I assure you I'm a better _company_ than your boyfriend can ever be.'

Her eyes narrowed and her hand holding the folded umbrella clenched, inwardly persuading herself not to slap that annoying flirtatious smirk off his stupid face.

 _Calm down, Clary. You're on your own now._ _Starting a fight with a guy way stronger than you plus has bunch of other scums as backup aren't the best way to prove to Jace that you could look after yourself._

'Sorry, not interested.'

'Playing hard to get? We can have so much _fun_.'

'Get a life, dude. The only company you're getting are your disrespectful friends who are just as ignorant,' said Clary as she started to turned around intending to leave, only to be held back by the guy's hand on her wrist.

'Oh a spitfire! I like it. You know what they say about red heads in bed, they –'

'Oh go screw yourself, dickhead,' Clary uttered as she shook off his hand, raised her right leg up, kneeled him at where it hurt the most in full force and punched him in the face – for a split second satisfied with herself when she heard a crack - then scampered off immediately.

* * *

 **A/N :**

 **Yay! Clary kicked some ass. And we've got a glimpse of what happened with Clary and her ex. Do you like the flashback? What'll happen next?**

 **Oh and about the last update - Magnus finally made his appearance. What do you think?**

 **Thanks for your lovely reviews! Love them!**

 **I've almost finished Chapter 8. It's gonna be the longest chapter so far filled with Clace. So kudos to me!**

 **Could I get 10+ reviews before I post the next one? Pretty please? :D**

 **\- Kat xx**


	8. Chapter 8: Thunder and Idiots

**A/N** **:**

 **Hi all! I'm back. Thank you so much for your kind words in the reviews! You guys are amazing! Seriously, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Without further ado, here's your Chapter 8! Have fun reading! -Kat xx**

* * *

Clary ran past two blocks before slowing down to take a deep breath, while looking back nervously to confirm that the guy whom she had just pissed off hadn't chased after her. Now that the adrenaline had subsided, she could now feel the lingering ache in her reddened right fist. Yet, no way was the smug smile leaving her face tonight.

 _Jace should be proud. My mum should be proud. Hell, anyone would be proud with my perfect kick and punch. Well, that could go way worse than what happened._

The wind was getting wilder and the rain was becoming more pelting. Clary held her umbrella closer as she continued scurrying around for any sight of her best ffriend, disregarding the hisses from people whom she had ran past in opposite direction along with abrasions of umbrellas. She inwardly prayed to Gandalf, Zeus and whatever gods there were in the clouds that – _ohmygodohmyfreakinggodyousonofabiscuitkillmenow!_ Her eyelids shut tightly, her hands quickly flew to her ears, struggling to hold the umbrella up at the same time, as a strike of lightning divided the sky into halves followed by a resounding explosion of thunder. She nibbled her lower lip to keep herself from screaming like a pathetic petrified kid she was, though that didn't stop the shrieking inside her head.

She never liked thunder. When she was young, she would hide either under her bed or inside her closet whenever there was a thunderstorm. It was literally impossible for her to fall asleep for the entire night unless her mum or Jace was there with her, whom she would clutch as hard as humanly possible as if they were her lifeline. Even now that she's considered as an adult – at least legally – she would still put on ear plugs and curled like a fetus under the cover of quilt. She always felt like the thunder would set off a massive explosion in the sky above her, blast the sky into pieces and destroy everything she loved and cared about. It was an unexplainable, nonsensical fear – she knew it too – but why she wasn't able to dissuade herself from being scared witless, it was a mystery she still hadn't figured out yet either.

 _So much for being proud of myself. Guess there'll always be something that I could never grow out of._

* * *

 _She was on a hilltop, where some houses– one being Jace's – and the park Clary frequently played at could be viewed. The four-feet-nothing young girl couldn't recall how she ended up here. She just somehow did, after running away from the cemetery right after the funeral had ended._

 _Rain had been falling from the grey dull sky incessantly for the entire day. Her flaming wild curls were now dampened and her long black dress were soaked – not that she cared though. Her umbrella nowhere in sight. She didn't remember how or when she lost it – yet again, she didn't care about it either. And to be honest, she wasn't even sure what she was feeling._ Indifference? Maybe that's towards the world, towards everything around her, towards the cruelty in life _– she gulped down the sudden reflux of the unsettling, throat-choking feeling._ Indifference does seem a better option.

 _She clenched her teeth and sat down on the ground, her back against the tree trunk and her small arms hugging her knees. Her face was wet. She couldn't tell if it's the rain or her tears – but she believed it's the former. She hadn't cried throughout the service, and certainly she wasn't going to start now._

 _She stared at her right arm, one that was heavily bandaged. A wound on her arm and also some other small cuts and bruises – those were all she'd got from the accident. Oh and concussion too._ What a complicated word _\- she wasn't sure what it meant, but she didn't bother enough to look it up in the dictionary._ Why does it matter when what's done is done and there's nothing she can do to change it? _The doctor informed them of the possibility of memory loss – a common repercussion suffered by trauma patient. She was pretty sure that she hadn't. She wished she did though, but she could perfectly recollect every single second in that car, recall how the other car crashed onto theirs breaking the reinforced glasses of the windshields, remember how her father attempted to shield her body with his before her blackout._ Maybe if he hadn't done that, he'd still be alive, _she thought bitterly._

 _A sonorous, reverberating thunder brought her out of her daze, her hands covering her ears reflexively and head buried behind her knees, as a few more rumbles of thunder followed. She bit on her lower trembling lips to stifle the anticipated screech or whimper – it made her feel vulnerable. And she's tired of being the distressful helpless child she was. She's sick of responding politely to the people who looked at her in sympathy and asked her if she's okay, or worse, told her that_ he _'s in a better place now. How could he be in a 'better place' when he -_

' _Clary? Clary? There you are! Everyone has been looking for you!'_

 _Upon hearing the muffled fast-paced footsteps and shouting, she took a peak at the approaching figure before looking up. The blond boy in front of her stooped down while holding out an umbrella in his left hand._

' _Are you stupid? Hiding under a tree during a thunderstorm? Haven't you heard what Miss Morrison said? You could get struck by lightning!'_

' _How did you find me?' she asked, abnormally calm._

' _You always head to high grounds when you're upset,' his harsh tone softened again, 'I- it's not a time for Q &A sessions. Come on. Let's go!' He extended his other hand and grabbed hers, pulling the stunned girl with red-rimmed eyes up and starting to stride away from the tree. _

_When he saw the girl stopped moving, he said, 'I know it feels like the end of the world to you, but what happened has happened. Aunt Jocie can't afford to lose her daughter. And I can't lose my best friend. I won't leave you no matter what, okay?'_

 _The dam that had been holding back tears finally broke into ruins. 'I-I miss him, Jace. I miss my dad. And it-it hurts. I-'_

' _It's fine. It's fine for you to grieve and bawl your eyes out. Come here,' he said, holding out his right arm, and hugged her as tightly as he could as she sobbed like the child she was._

 _Gripping her hand unyieldingly and giving it a squeeze, he led her down the hill as he whispered in hushed tone, 'I did too. Uncle Val was like a second dad to me.'_

* * *

Another peal of thunder summoned her back from her trance. _You've gotta stop drifting away like this._ She drew a deep breath, trying to calm her wild racing heart. Call it an instinct, or a daring speculation – an image of a place rose up in her mind. She had never been that thankful for the bang.

* * *

From far, Clary could already spot a shadow walking around, head turning left and right, on top of the grass knoll in the park. It's the park that can be viewed from her room, so large that it'd take at least an hour to finish strolling. But she knew where he would go – or at least where she herself would go if she's upset. She jogged up the slope, eyes never leaving the shadow. It got clearer as she got closer. He stood under the tall, old tree, exactly the same spot where they had a picnic two weeks ago, hands in his dripping disheveled hair. _Definitely him._

'JACE!' she shouted as she darted to shorten the long distance and tackled him with a hug. The umbrella was dropped – but to be honest, it wasn't that much of a use, now that both of them were soaked.

She buried her head deeper in the crook of his neck as another crack of thunder, however distant, kicked in. 'Clary, I'm so, so sorry.' His chest vibrated as he spoke. She felt an irritating burn behind her eyes, as if tears were welling up; but what surprised her was the weird unsettling sensation in her stomach.

She landed her feet on the ground again and took one step back so that she didn't have to crane her neck that much. Water droplets suspended by the long eyelashes, his amber orbs were glimmering, immobilizing her emerald ones, as if they were trying to tell her something that can't be expressed through words. He looked more _angelic_ than usual.

 _Has he always been this beautiful, or is it just another trick adrenaline was playing on her dysfunctional brain?_

He cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry, Clare. I didn't mean to –'

She jabbed him in the chest repeatedly as she yelled, 'Are you nuts?! Standing under a tree when there's thunder? You could get struck! You idiot! And why didn't you answer your damn phone?!'

Jace's dumbfound face would be Oscar-worthy comical, if it was under a different scenario – one that they weren't at a risk of being struck by lightning at any time. _Hell, I should also be awarded a prize for rendering him speechless twice in a day!_

'I- the battery died. I'm really sorry, Clare.' He gulped and paused. An unfamiliar silence stretched for seconds while they were both trying to process what had transpired. He was the first one to speak, 'But your punches feel like puppy kicks. You know, those adorable miniscule terriers… '

A chuckle escaped her lips, followed by his.

'You're an idiot. You know that?'

'But I'm your idiot,' he grinned, 'and a sexy golden one at that.' _Granted, he wasn't wrong._

She rolled her eyes. 'Who said I want to keep you? Maybe I want to revoke the best friend card.'

'Ouch, Miss Morgenstern, that's cruel. How quickly you dismiss our love,' he said, feigning hurt.

'Cruel is my middle name, DiCaprio.'

'Clarissa Cruel Morgenstern. That sounds terrible. You must have been bullied a lot as a kid.'

'Luckily not. A blond idiot who claimed that he's a good fighter always followed me wherever I go.'

'Poor kid.'

'Ain't he.' She shook her head as she picked the umbrella up from the ground. Jace took it from her and held it up. 'Let's go, idiot.'

'Wait,' he said. Hesitatingly, he slowly extended his right hand to tuck a stray lock of red hair behind her ear. In those seconds, the only sound that could be heard were the raindrops hitting the umbrella and the grass, as if the rest of the world faded away. Not even the noise of breathing was audible – _or have I held my breath?_ _There goes the strange fluttery sensation in my stomach again._

His hand paused next to her ear for a second, then hastily retracting it. 'Much better.'

He grabbed her hand, his gulp hadn't gone unnoticed by Clary, who was slapped out of haze by the cold contact with his hand.

'Your hand's freezing, Jace!' She scanned him from head to toes. Of course, he's in a T-shirt and jeans only. And they were all damp.

'Sorry,' he apologized, about to draw back his hand.

She gave his hand a vicelike squeeze. 'No, _I_ am sorry.'

Hand in hand, they strode down the slope.

'Does this mean that you'll call off the date?' asked Jace.

'You wish,' she rolled her eyes and retorted. 'It's like me asking you, "would you swear off girls completely?"'

He was quiet for seconds before giving out a forced laugh, 'Fair enough. But promise me you'll be careful, ok?'

'Of course. Who do you think I am!'

'I don't know, fiery. You do seem a bit distressful from time to time.'

'Say for yourself, idiot,' she said with another eye roll. 'You know just now I was in the bar…'

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **I had so much fun writing their banter-filled reunion and of course the scene of the young Clary and Jace. Does Clary sound a bit too mature for her age? I've thought of using the childish tone that many people use when involving children characters. But they were like 9 years old and I'm pretty sure my speech was normal-ish when I was 9. Though young clary's way of thinking does feel older. I don't know. Maybe tragedy can do that to a person? What do you think? Another question: what do things happened in that whole crazy night might mean to Clary? And to Jace too?**

 **Please write to me about your comments, opinions and thoughts!**

 **\- Kat xx**

 **P.S. I'm sorry to tell you that you may have to wait a tad bit longer before the next chapter comes out, coz uni is getting crazy AGAIN. Wish me luck, people. Meanwhile, please review, follow and/or favorite! Until next time. xx**

 **P.S.S: I've made some edits to chapter 1! Take a look at it and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9: Aftermath

**A/N**

 **I know I said I'm not gonna update in a short while. But I'm not in the mood of studying today. So here a short chapter 9 - the product of procrastination haha! Enjoy!**

 **And by the way, I've made some edits to chapter 1. Please review and tell me what you think!**

 **\- Kat x**

* * *

'Ahhh-choo!'

'Bless you,' said Clary and Aline simultaneously, the former one pulling out a piece of tissue from her new unused pack, and handed them both to Jace at the back, who had already used up his.

It had been five days since the whole _hide-and-seek ordeal_ on Thursday night. Apparently, being out in the rain at a chilly night in only a thin T-shirt would catch you a cold. Jace had been sneezing non-stop since Friday, and he hadn't gotten any better. After an almost-traffic accident on Friday, Aline and Clary decided it's for the best to bench Jace from driving until he got better, much to his dismay. _But yay, girl power_.

'You sure you don't want to see a doctor today?' asked Clary, concerned.

'Clary's right. You don't look so good today,' Aline glanced at him through the rearview mirror as she kept on driving.

'Impossible. I always look good,' said Jace. 'And no worries, ladies, it's no big deal. Just an allergy.'

Clary rolled her eyes. 'Allergy my ass.'

'Chill, Fiery. Men don't catch colds. _I_ don't get sick.' This earned him two eye rolls and disbelieving head shakes.

'Everyone may catch a cold, you big baby,' retorted Aline.

'I'm not ordinary pe- aaahchoo! Damn! Anyway I was…'

Clary zoned out halfway through their conversation. Her mind had flown her to that night again. That fluttery feeling in her stomach. It's not that she'd never felt that way before. In fact, she had. For countless times. Her teenage crushes, and sadly to say, her despicable ex. The most recent one being Sebastian. She understood its possible implications, but what confused her was why she felt that with Jace. Granted, Jace was undeniably handsome and had amazing personality if you overlook his cocky narcissistic side. But he's her best friend whom she _ate_ play-doh with, the protective older brother she'd never had, the confidant who probably knew her better than herself. How could –

'Clary?' She was brought back to reality by Aline's voice.

'Huh?'

'Sebbie's thinking of cancelling the date, 'coz he thinks he may be swing the other way.'

 _Seb. The date._ Her mind was so occupied that she'd completely forgotten about her date with him. _Wait._ 'WHAT?'

'Ouch my eardrum.' Aline massaged her right ear, while Jace burst into laughter. Clary looked back at him, confusion written all over her face.

'Now you're back,' he said.

'We were just kidding,' explained Aline, amused, as she unbuckled her seatbelt. The other two followed and stepped out from the car. 'You totally spaced out. Like you spirited to another world or something.'

'Sorry, I was thinking about something. Never mind me. What were you guys talking about?'

Jace snooze before replying, 'Aline and I may have to leave a bit late today. We and some other guys decided to form a band last Friday and there were shits that we have to sort out. Mind if we meet up later, say seven, before grabbing dinner?'

'Yeah sure! I could work on my painting in the art room. First assignment of the year. I don't want to screw it up.'

'Great!' Aline grinned, revealing her perfect pearly white teeth.

'Good luck, both of you!'

'Thanks, Clary! You're the best! See you!' said Aline, starting to leave.

'You sure you're fine?' asked Jace, concerned, as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

She squeezed back. 'Yeah fine. No big deal. Don't worry about me. _You_ , on the other hand, better visit the clinic. You seriously don't look so well.'

'I'm fine. Tell that to girls there.' Clary followed the direction of his nod where a couple of girls – Clary swore the crowd got bigger week by week - were watching them, or more specifically, Jace, with dreamy eyes. _Feels like high school all over again._ He continued, 'Pretty certain they'll say otherwise.'

'I'm so not gonna argue with the president of your new fans club.'

He gasped, feigning shock. 'I thought you were the president!'

'In your dreams, Herondale.' Clary smirked. 'And you should keep those tissues you used. Bet you could earn a few dead presidents on eBay.'

'You don't say.' He gave his signature smirk in response. _Cue the girlish 'awwws'_. 'See you, Fiery!'

'See you, idiot!' _Just like any other day._

Jace turned away and jogged a bit to catch up with Aline, while Clary strolled towards the lecture hall of her first class.

 _Probably just a result of brain malfunction with fear, guilt, worry and all those chaotic emotions in the mix,_ she concluded inwardly.

Someone tapped on her shoulder. 'Good morning, Clary!' _Ooooh it's the sexy accent again, and the butterflies._

* * *

'Urgh!'

Eyebrows furrowed, Clary dropped her paintbrush back to the bucket, resisting the urge of pulling her hair out or shredding the cloth into pieces. Today had been tad bit too uneventful for her taste, but this had just hit the bottom low.

She looked at her phone. Three o' clock. Great. This meant she had been sitting here for more than an hour. Yet, not a single dot of paint could be found on the canvas. Not even a smudge. Zero. Zip. Nilch. Nada. She gave out an exasperated sigh. _At this rate, I'm never gonna finish this assignment. An oil painting with topic of my own choice? Why couldn't she ask for a mad skill-demanding photorealist painting of a specific topic? It may even be easier than asking me to come up with my own topic! Where's the inspiration when I'm desperately in need of it?_

Giving up, she took out her phone and unlocked it. The only thing blanker than her canvas was her chat boxes today, which was weird, since Jace always messaged her at lunchtime.

She pouted as she thought for a second before typing in texts.

' _Whatcha doin'?' – C_

' _I'm dying. :(' – C_

' _Of boredom. :(' – C_

' _I dunno what to draw for my assignment. :('_

Jace always gave her inspiration when her mind's stuck in an endless empty abyss, even when most of the time he was only replying with the most random and irrelevant trivia, or bring her to watch or do ridiculous acts. She stared at her screen for a minute, hoping to see the words 'typing…' under his name. But nothing happened. Empty. Just like her painting. _Probably busy with his band stuff_. She blew at the stray carroty curl that came into her vision and sighed.

'Artist's block?'

 _Fantastic. Now Seb knows what I failure I am._

Clary nodded in frustration. 'I suck.'

'No, you don't. It happens to the best of us.'

Resisting from making another _unsexy_ grumble, Clary eyed from her blank canvas to Sebastian's almost-finished one. And god the lake, the willow and the mountain backdrop? They were breathtaking. 'Speak for yourself. You've almost completed yours with flying colors. I can't even draw a single line. Stop the white lies. I'm terrible.'

'I've seen your sketches. _Chefs-d'œuvre_ , really. No lousy artist could have created those.'

While Clary had no idea what _chefs-d'œuvre_ meant, the way the words rolled off his tongue, his encouraging smile and his sincere gaze in admiration were enough to make her blush. 'T-thanks, Seb,' she replied, secretly praying that she wouldn't burn up into flames while making a mental remark to look up that word later.

'Just stating the truth,' he said with a smile. He thought for a second, stood up, extended his hand and asked with a grin that made her heart melt, 'Come on, Clary. Let's go on a pre-date!'

'Pre-date?'

'Date before our date. You and me. Coffee. Now. What do you think?'

 _Are you kidding? I doubt it's ever possible for me to say no to that grin._

'Of course,' she said, taking her hand as she stood up, inwardly praising herself for answering a question like this without stutter. _Good job, Clary._


	10. Chapter 10: Sebastian's Story

**A/N**

 **Hi again! I wish uni gave me an off, but no, this is just another product of procrastination. It's short, I know. Still, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

'What do you want?' asked Sebastian.

'Just coffee. Black – like my soul,' replied Clary.

'Don't we all.' Sebastian chuckled as he headed off the coffee bar, leaving Clary at the corner of their table.

The walk to the café with Seb had been interesting – once her racing heart got over the excitement of having a one-on-one coffee time with the _beau brun._

'Here.' Sebastian came back with two mugs of coffee and put down one of the cups in front of her. 'Be careful. It's hot.'

'Thank you,' said Clary with a smile. She raised her cup near her nose and took in the invigorating vapour that slowly arose from the liquid.

'That good, huh?' Sebastian asked and took a sip of his.

Clary nodded in satisfaction. 'I just love the rich aroma of the roasted beans.'

'It's been a while since I'd seen someone with that much of enthusiasm in coffee, or just food in general.'

'Is it a good thing or bad thing?'

'Good, definitely.' His lips curled into that blush-worthy smile again. She took another sip of her coffee, mentally applauding herself for keeping the underlying red of her cheeks in control without diverting her eyes from his.

After that, the conversation flowed fluently. They cracked weird jokes, talked about their classes and professors and quibbled about their lives.

'Have you and Jace ever dated?' Clary almost choked at the question – a question she had been asked way too many times recently and back in highschool. 'I remember you said you guys aren't together now, but you two seem so close –'

'The answer is no. Jace and I are and always have been best friends. Knew the guy since before I could write my name. To be honest, I couldn't imagine a day without that doofus in my life. But we aren't romance materials. More like comedy drama, maybe.' Sebastian chuckled at that. It was what she had told the others for countless of times. Probably more than that of the sentence 'hi, I'm Clary'. Why was there a sudden unfamiliar drop at the pit bottom of her heart? Mentally, she shrugged it off before continuing, 'And I'm not his type. I mean, you'd understand if you had seen the girls he's been with. They're all leggy, slim and gorgeous. And I'm just, well, me.' She suddenly remembered, 'Your cousin Aline was one of them. They used to go out like four years ago. '

'Oh that was Jace?'

She nodded, amused by his surprised expression.

'She'd told me about her boyfriend back in LA many years ago, but I've never associated him with Jace.' He and Clary both chuckled at the statement.

'And you think too low of yourself. You _are_ beautiful, Clary.'

'We're having a so-called pre-date, remember? You're obliged to say that.'

He gave out a hearty laugh. 'Well then I'm glad that I'm here with you. I'd hate to tell lies.'

'Enough about me.' A smug smile that she could never wash it off today hanging on her face, she decided to divert the attention from herself. 'What about you? Any jealous exes that I should be aware of?'

'No jealous ex, per se. But I did get out from my first serious relationship half a year ago.'

'And...?' she asked, curiously.

Sebastian took a sip of his drink and continued,'We were in the same year but we studied at different schools. It was a purely chance encounter that we had even met on the first place. She was an aspiring singer songwriter, but I was just a _salaud_ _–_ douchebag, I mean – who thought he owned the world. But she taught me passion and dreams, something that I'd forgotten for quite a while. We dated for a year or so, but we faced the problem that all high school couples face – separation by our future. She wanted what she always wanted – even got herself a record deal in Paris; while I'm now here doing what I planned to do at that time. I would probably have stayed in France, studying a BBA just as my dad wished, if I hadn't met her. But I love arts and Alicante is one of the world's best arts school. Wouldn't it be like betraying what she believed in if I didn't take the offer? Either way, I did take it, and we both believed that we wouldn't be able to survive the distance. So we ended it on good terms before it decays. At least we're both living in our dreams. That's what matters, right?'

Clary thought for a while and nodded. 'She must be a pretty amazing girl.'

'She is. You two are so alike actually. Not just in terms of appearance, but the fact that you're both passionate about the things you do.'

'So I'm just a replica of your beautiful ex?' she teased.

'That- that's not what I meant. You're special in your own way. The way you care about the people you love – that's pretty…inspiring and amazing. _You_ are amazing.'

'Chillax, Seb. I was just kidding,' she chuckled. 'But it's nice to hear those words from you.'

'Glad to be of service,' he smirked. 'And I'm sorry for turning our supposedly light-hearted coffee date to such a heavy one.'

'I'm not. Coffee is good for thinking and in-depth conversations. Besides, it allowed me to see a different side of you.'

'And...is it a good thing or bad thing?'

'Good, definitely.'

'Good to know.' His grin widened. 'How about you? Any sob story you'd like to share?'

'Oh I wish my romantic relationship was as enlightening as yours. But the truth is, he's a completely, undoubtedly utter jackass...'

* * *

'You sure you don't want to do more drawing today?' asked Sebastian as they stepped out from the café together.

She shrugged nonchalantly. 'Yeah. Probably not gonna do much even if I go.'

'See you tomorrow then?'

'See you, Seb. That was a really nice chat,' Clary smiled.

'You're easy to talk with. With more coffee dates like that, I may even spilt my darkest secrets to you.'

'Oooh I'm counting on that. And thanks for the coffee.'

'Anytime.' He let out a heart-warming grin before heading back to the Visual Arts building.

Clary took her phone out and unlocked it. Still nothing. No reply from Jace, at all. _That's weird._

She entered another chat box and started typing.

' _Hey Aline! I decided to go home first.' – C_

' _Text me when you guys are done? x' – C_

' _Btw, is Jace ok? He didn't look too well this morning and he hadn't replied any of my messages.' – C_

She walked towards the main street, intending to hail a cab back to the apartment. Before she could even spot one, her phone vibrated with a message from Aline.

' _Hey Clary. Jace was feeling dizzy at lunchtime. Almost fainted. We got him to the university clinic and he's probably still sleeping it off there atm.' – A_

 _What the heck?_ Her pupils widened at the message. She quickly typed in a reply.

' _Wait, what? Almost fainted?' - C_

' _He told me not to tell you coz you have that important assignment to do. Sorry!' – A_

She rolled her eyes. _That stupid idiot._

'And _I'm going to pick him up after class, but the lecture seems endless...' – A_

' _Nvm. I'll text you later, ok?' – C_

Without waiting for Aline's reply, she tucked her phone to her pocket and sprinted off.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So...what do you think? About Seb & his story? About Clary? About Aline? And Jace? (Poor Jace, I hope he'll be ok)**

 **What do you think may happen next?**

 **To** **AlesiaJ89 ( & probably many of you who have this question in mind), this is a CLACE story - at least eventually (smirk). So for those who are eager Clace shippers who can't wait for them to get together (I am, too, sometimes), please bear with me and see how it goes. Our two favorite characters could be slow sometimes.**

 **Last but not least, review and tell me what you think! I love reading them and they gave me so many ideas and motivation. So please? With a cherry on top? :P  
**

 **Until next time!**

 **\- Kat xx**


	11. Chapter 11: Feverish Hot

The clinic was larger and more modern than expected. At the waiting area the columns of blue seats were sat with fewer than ten people – to her surprise, there were more patients who're probably teaching staff than students. Posters about influenza, birth control and STDs covered the wall with stands of leaflets below them. _Was that a – never mind._ Clary shuddered at the sight of that hideous photo.

''Hi! Is Jace Herondale here now? He came in at around one, feeling dizzy and all that. Probably had a flu or something.' Her speech was fast, though not as fast as the ants in her stomach.

However, her urgent gestures didn't seem to be noticed by the middle-aged reception lady at all. Or maybe she simply didn't care. Clary clenched her fists and kept her mouth shut, increasingly annoyed by the slow rhythmic crispy clicking sound her well-manicured nails contacting with the buttons of the keyboard.

The lady asked nonchalantly, 'What are you to Mr. Herondale?'

'I'm his friend. We live in the same apartment. I-'

The lady slightly raised her hand, signaling her to stop. 'Room 202. Go up, walk straight then turn right. He should be only one in the room.'

'Thanks,' Clary muttered before dashing towards the stairs, disregarding the short queue of people lining up for the lift that just stopped on this floor.

It didn't take her a minute to find the aforementioned room. There were six beds in the ward and the one at the corner facing the window slept her idiot of a best friend. She slowly shook her head and sighed in relief as she walked over there, picked up the black bomber jacket from the plastic purple chair next to his bed, and laid it on her thighs after taking the seat.

The golden boy was sound asleep, though from the slight crease between his eyebrows, he didn't seem particularly comfortable. His nose was reddened and Clary could spot some white edges of the slightly flaked skin of his nose alar. His face, especially his lips, was a bit pale – even when comparing to that of last when she saw him in the morning. There were deep eye bags under his closed eyes. Clary knew he had been a bit busy and tired these few days – for an assignment project, and now she knew also for the band they're forming – but she hadn't realized the eye bags were this deep. He usually emanated a powerful sense of confidence and strength. Under that pristine white sheet, now gone was the self-assured tough macho guy, he looked like the soft young boy he was back in elementary school, the one who dared not hurt a fly, the one who had the best innocent puppy eyes and hair that parents liked to ruffle, the one whom Clary believed was even more a cry-baby than herself was back then – _well, he did cry for an entire week when he lost his first primary tooth_.

His hair was tousled, not in the way he usually intentionally created when hiding in the bathroom for half an hour in the morning, but the way that made him look a bit distressed. _He'd probably make a huge fit if this was ever pointed out to him._ A few strands of blond were so long that they went past his closed eyes. Making a mental note to remind him to have a haircut, she swept them up so that they wouldn't poke his eyes when he woke up. His forehead was burning hot. _No wonder he felt dizzy back then_ –

'Molest me when I'm asleep? I know I'm hot, but if you want a piece of this, you can just ask.' The angle of his lips lifted up slightly as his opened his tired eyes.

Clary rolled her eyes and said, 'You wish, idiot. You're hot, that's right, but feverish hot. You should have just stayed home this morning. Now who's the one with poor self-management, huh?'

'It's just a little flu that comes with fever. I'd be all well in a few days.' His grin was a childish one, as ember the emerald.

'You better be.'

'True. What would my fans club do without my glorious presence?'

She rolled her eyes. 'You should be grateful that they didn't strip you naked when you fainted.'

He chuckled, stretching his arms as he sat up, his back leaning against his pillow. 'They aren't that crazy,' he hesitated for a second, 'probably. And I didn't faint. I felt a bit…not well. That's it. Besides, yours truly is a very discreet person.'

'Discreet, my ass,' she snorted. 'Why didn't you message me? Or ask Aline to do so? You know I have a pm off. I could very well get you home.'

'Guess I didn't want to hear the "I told you so" just yet.' Clary rolled her eyes, though couldn't help but gave a short laughter at that. He continued, 'And you have that important assignment to work on. I don't want to bother you. Speaking on that, have you finished it?'

'Forget about it. I had like the worst block ever and couldn't draw shit to save my life.'

'Maybe you should just draw some shits - I mean it literally. Like faeces. You know there are so many different –'

'Oh my god! You're disgusting!'

'Or you can draw me! Many girls –'

'Did you just compare yourselves to smelly excretion products?'

'It's contrast, dear.'

'You're ridiculous.' She rolled her eyes, though one idea indeed popped up in her mind. An image of an angel. _Seriously, was he a muse in his previous life? That's ludicrously miraculous._

'Let's go home. The nurses and other staff couldn't get off work because of you.' _Though I really wouldn't mind if that lady at the reception gets an OT. Yep, I'm so holding a grudge against that._ Concerned, she asked, 'Could you walk?'

'I'm feverish, not handicapped, Fiery.'

She smirked, 'That's debatable, idiot.'

He snorted in disagreement, got out of bed and stooped down to put on his put on his boots.

'Here,' said Clary as she handed him his jacket which he then threw on.

'I'll go inform the nurse first,' said Jace as they walked out the room.

Clary nodded in response and texted Aline quickly:

' _Jace and I will get home first. No worry!' – C_

From the quick response she received, Clary could tell that lecture must be a very boring one.

' _Oh great! Plz tell Jace the guys and I will get some stuff figured out and I'll fill him in later. Ask him to just stay in bed and worry not.' – A_

' _Sure!' – C_

' _Btw, how does Chinese sound? I could go grab us some food before coming back. ;)' – A_

' _Sounds good to me. Thanks Aline xx' – C_

' _No problem xx' - A_

Clary tucked her phone in her jeans pocket and turned around and found Jace immediately, who was standing not far away the information station talking to a nurse. That blonde, who's probably a fresh grad, if not a student in practicum, was blatantly flirting with him. Clary was woman enough to admit that the girl was actually quite attractive with all the right curves. She could imagine being among the popular cheerleader squad back in highschool – basically girls that Jace may hook up with. But slipping a piece of paper into his jacket pocket? _Girl, aggressive much? Isn't this a violation of professional conduct or something?_ She rolled her eyes at the antic, though was a bit surprised by the unimpressed expression on Jace.

Jace looked relived when he spotted her, as he waved her over with an overly-enthusiastic grin,' Hey, love, you're back!'

 _Love, huh?_

He gave her a wink – one that Clary knew all too well meaning 'play along' – and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Clary put on her best 'in love' smile and hugged his waist. _Hmm…his body was warm._

The stunned blonde was staring at Clary, with a furious gaze so intense that for a moment Clary thought there would be holes on her head. Clary gave a smug smile in response – _ha, if I was her, I'd want to punch myself too._

'Gotta go now. Thank you, Ma'am,' Jace said, politely, before strolling towards the lift as Clary's arms forwent his waist. She was, however, glad that his arms remained on her shoulder. She liked the warmth of it.

Clary craned her neck slightly and exclaimed mockingly, 'Wow! You're really serious about the no casual hook-up in uni thing? I thought you were just kidding. Izzy would be surprised.'

'I always keep my promise, Fiery,' he smirked – his usual playful smirk – though there was something in his eyes she couldn't understand. 'And that girl screams STD – I'd very much like to keep my goods intact.'

 _Or maybe it's because of the reunion with Aline?_ Somehow, her gut feeling told her that it's not a right question to ask at this moment. Inwardly, she shrugged it off.

'And _love_ , really?' she asked, with eyebrows raised.

He grinned innocently, 'Or would you prefer _baby_? Or better, _princess_?'

'No _baby,_ and definitely no _princess_ , or I'm gonna castrate you. I'm a mother-freaking _queen_.'

'Absolutely, _Queen Clarissa_ –'

'Just stick to _love_ next time, ' she snorted and interrupted. 'Oh and you know I'm never gonna let you forget about fainting –'

'Almost, Fiery. It's _almost_ fainted.'

'- at school, right, Mr. _men-don't-get-sick_?'

He groaned, 'It's just one time.'

'Remember eighth grade? You were totally a whiny princess when you're put on bed rest –'

'I didn't whine.'

'You definitely did. You told your dad…'

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **Hi my readers! I hope the wait hadn't been too long. What can I say? School sucks. Anyway I hope you did enjoy it. Review and tell me what you think about this chapter! And what do you think may happen next? The next chapter is halfway done. And I'm telling you there'll be some Clace happening. :P Could I get 10+ reviews before posting the next one, please? With a cherry on top? :D**

 **\- Kat xx**


	12. Chapter 12: Confusion

'Are you really going out with him tonight?' asked Jace, sitting down on the side of Clary's messy bed, as Clary carelessly threw her bag over her chair.

It was five o' clock and they just came back from campus. Aline didn't join them when they left, saying that she had to meet with someone before she got back to help Clary with her make-up and outfits for the date. _Oh yes, the date._ While she no longer squealed like a fangirl meeting her favorite idol when she thought about the date, or Sebastian in general – _well, at least not to that frantic extent_ \- the corners of her lips still often lifted up in excitement when she thought about it. One, because she felt like she knew him a little bit better after that coffee date. Two, because her mind had mostly been occupied by Jace these few days.

Jace being sick was an uncommon occurrence. The last time it happened was back when they were in eighth grade, and it was because of a really stupid food poisoning. So, by that rate, he should have been all well and up – or at least had recovered mostly – by today. But no. Being the petulant child he was, following doctor's orders hadn't been his strongest suit. _Well, that's putting it lightly._ He attended his classes as usual the day after and had been staying late discussing with his music buddies about the band they were his temperature flared up again that night, Clary forced him to take a compulsory bed rest, threatening that she wouldn't speak to him for a week he didn't. He obeyed and stayed home for the entire day yesterday, though with countless protests, scowling and grumbling – so annoying that she conceded this morning just to shut him up. Luckily, he seemed better today. _What an idiot._

Even when he's in a sitting posture, Clary could barely see past his head. He was jutting his bottom lip out, looking at her with his best puppy eyes.

'Cute,' she snorted mockingly and ruffled his hair. She liked the soft blond curls against her palm. 'But yep, I am, so you could save the innocent act now.'

He sighed and laid down in a thump, his outstretched right arm framing above his head. The mattress sunk down a little at his weight. The bulging arm muscles evidently contracted. _How could he get muscles like that by playing piano and singing, and occasionally kicking balls on pitch? Life is so unfair sometimes._ His eyes were shut and his eyebrows wrinkled slightly. _What is he thinking? Does it really bother him so much that I hang out with Seb?_ The elevation of the corners of her mouth dropped. The unfamiliar uncomfortable tension in the room was confusing. Uneasiness was rarely something she'd associate with Jace.

She laid down on her back next to him, then turned to the side so that she's facing him.

'You okay?' she asked, concerned.

'Mhmm,' he mumbled, eyes remained closed.

'Headache?' She placed her palm against her own forehead, then against his. Hotter than normal, but fortunately not as fevered as that of yesterday.

'You should sleep more, Jace.' She drew circles on his forehead with her fingers, trying to smoothen the creases between his eyebrows.

Jace opened his eyes as he rolled to the side facing Clary. Suddenly, Clary was hyperaware of how close their faces were. It felt like the whole world was gelled in slow motion. She enjoyed the aroma of fruits and sunshine that he always emanated. She envied his almost flawless tanned skin except for the two small freckles next to his left eyebrow – which just made him _realer_. She liked looking into the whirls of aureate flecks that drew her soul to the bottomless pupils like magnets and immobilized her like she was now. _What's happening? And why?_ There were so many questions in her mind, but all she could hear was the flushing of blood in her ears and pounding of her racing heart. She felt…lost. _Is it a hallucination? Or is it real?_

His right hand extended towards her cheek – Clary halted her breath - but hesitantly stopped at the stray strand of ginger which he curled around his finger. He gulped, opened his mouth then closed at the last second then opened again. His words came out like a melody smooth as silk. 'That's final then?'

'Huh?' Hers came out a bit throaty.

'The date. With Sebastian. Is the decision final?'

 _Oh. The date._ She now remembered why she's in this predicament. 'Are you trying to seduce me into saying no?' She was impressed by her own unexpected eloquence.

He blinked as if he had to rethink about her question to understand what she said. 'I – does it work then?' he answered her question with a question, a grin decorating his face – one that she could clearly tell was forced.

 _Something wrong with what I asked? What's he hiding?_

She fought the urge of voicing her thoughts out. Somehow, her gut instinct told her that these weren't the right questions to ask.

'Good try. But no,' she, instead, replied, grinning like she had just won some petty arguments, yet couldn't help but feeling apologetic. 'Seb is a nice guy. I'm not calling it off for no reason.'

He pondered for a second before asking, 'This is what you want, right?'

She was a bit dazed by the question. 'Of course.' _Is it, really?_ She felt her heart dropped at his defeated expression.

She poked his cheek and said, 'Stop worrying, idiot, it's just dinner. You, on the other hand, should seriously sleep more. You can't get better unless you rest. And you'll lose all your fans if your eye bags get bigger and bigger.'

He jumped into his unreachable mind again for brief seconds – _what's in his mind again?_ \- before feigning a shocking gasp. 'Says the president of my fans club? Impossible! How could anyone resist this rugged handsomeness?!'

'Ruggedly handsome? You're at maximum a cute, pretty princess.' She snorted, glad that the pressure in the room had been lifted away a little.

He acted offended. 'You don't put "cute'' and ''men'' in the same sentence. And you definitely shouldn't say that about me. Gorgeous, not bad. Sexy, maybe. Smokin' hot, hell yes.'

'Smokin' hot my ass. Jace Herondale is a cute princess-ish idiot. Sorry if the truth hurts your massive ego.'

'You sure?' he smirked devilishly, his wiggling fingers on display.

 _Shit._ She glanced around and lingered a millisecond longer at the door. _The door is the only way out. But he's closer to it than I am. Judging from his smirk, I bet he knows it too. Bastard._

'Say after me, "Jace Herondale is a smoking hot, ruggedly handsome man, and I am his fans club's president."'

 _Screw it._ 'You wish!' She grabbed the pillow next to her and smashed it at him, attempting to make an escape – but with no success. No surprise here, considering his reflex and strength were way superior.

His tickling fingers flew to her stomach and she laughed hysterically as she kicked and flailed, trying to fend him off and wriggle herself out. _That idiot, I'm telling you, is crazy._

'Murder! I scream murder, you fat ass!'

'Nuh-uh. "Jace Herondale is a smoking hot, ruggedly handsome man, and I am his fans club's president." Come on, Fiery! It's not that difficult,' he repeated smugly as he continued his attack –

'Wow. I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?' Standing at the door was a stunned Aline, who looked a bit different from last she saw her an hour ago. _Or is it just my imagination? Anyway, you're the freaking best, my savior!_

Using that moment of distraction, Clary pushed him off, and sashayed towards Aline with her right hand raised. 'High five, girlfriend!'

After a split second of recovery, Aline clapped her raised hand with a grin.

'Okay, Jace, out! Girls only. You know what Izzy says, "beautifying magic takes time".' Aline ordered.

'I thought you were on my side!' Jace protested, feigning hurt, 'I'm your friend!'

The girls rolled eyes and Aline retorted, 'And Sebbie is my cousin. There's no sides at play here. If you don't get out, I'm telling the bandmates to ditch the name 'Shadowhunters' and go with ''Shadowhunters and the Dumb Blonde''.'

He stood up and walked out reluctantly while demurring, 'I thought we agreed on "The Ruggedly Handsome and His Peasants"!'

Clary laughed at the ridiculously self-conceited name and Aline snorted in exasperation, 'Nope, we didn't. You suggested, but everyone objected it. Now, out. And don't dare to disturb us!'

Jace huffed in defeat and mumbled something incoherently probably among words like 'crazy girls' as Aline closed the door.

She smirked. 'Let's get to work!'

As Aline sat her down, her mind flew back to minutes ago, when her heart raced and her mind was buzzed with whys. Her gut instinct did give her an answer. An answer was too impossible to be true. _Or is it?_ She inwardly strapped the thought to a heavy rock and let it sink to the pit bottom of her heart, for she couldn't bear the thought of what she may lose if she's wrong.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 ** _Jace Herondale is a smoking hot, ruggedly handsome man._ Not bad, Jace. **

**This chapter was supposed to be longer with more scenes included, but when I finished drafting the second part and started the third part, I figured it'd be a tad bit too long, and I don't want to wait too long before posting the chapter. So I cut the first part out - and here it is, chapter 12. A chapter of fluff, and the initiation of confusing thoughts in Clary's mind.**

 **What do you think? About Clary? About Clace?**

 **Oh and do you prefer a longer chapter (but with a longer wait), or short chapter (but with a quicker update)?**

 **And thanks for all your reviews! They are motivating, as always!**

 **\- Kat xx**


	13. Chapter 13: Stranger Friend

To Clary, there was nothing more tedious than a makeover by Izzy, as miraculously amazing as the result could be. In her memory, Aline was…milder, more _rational_ , and easier to be reasoned with. Or so she thought. Because the moment Aline slammed the door shut, she asked Clary to turn on her laptop and skype Izzy. Apparently, after Clary told – or squealed, to be specific – Izzy about the date last week, Izzy felt like it was her ' _responsibility to ensure her baby sis would stun the guy with jaw-dropping gorgeousness on her first date after a long break from the romantic scene',_ that she contacted Aline about it _._ Admittedly, Clary was touched by the 'baby sis' part, but when both Aline and Izzy, who was screaming though her laptop monitor, forced her to put on Aline's five-inch high heels, Clary couldn't help but regretted the decision of ever telling Izzy the development of her hopefully-budding romantic relationship.

Two hours later, Clary was beyond exhausted. Izzy had excused herself half an hour ago, saying that she had something extremely important to attend to. T-Swift's songs still blasting in the background, Clary, who was sitting on the bed, was about to lay down on her back until –

'Don't,' Aline warned. Clary froze, feeling like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. 'You'll ruin the up-do.'

Clary groaned exasperatedly. _What have I gotten myself in? These fashionistas and their harshness._

'Hey, put it on.' Aline handed Clary a necklace, one that she found in Clary's small accessory box. Coincidentally, it was her favorite among all. Back in tenth grade, she was obsessed with Celtic knots. She liked the way the lines curved and connected, and the messages they implied. Jace therefore gave her this silver Infinity knot pendant in the shape of the symbol of friendship for her birthday. She loved it, and hadn't taken it off for an entire week. It was only when paint splashed onto the chain accidentally when she painted then she took it off, cleaned it thoroughly and kept it safe in her accessory box, only to wear it in important days.

'Come here!' Aline said with a toothy grin, standing next the full-length mirror mounted on the interior door of her wardrobe. 'Time to appreciate the magic!'

 _This is magic, no kidding._ Clary had to give both of them that. It's not that she didn't recognize herself in the mirror. She did, but the girl in the mirror was attractive - having minimal makeup that makes her green eyes shine, a cute black dress that accentuated her supposedly non-existent curve, and an exquisite bun with few red strands curling down deliberately - and she had never considered herself to be attractive, not when she looked like well, herself.

'Thank you!' Clary said as she pulled Aline into a hug.

'You're welcome!' Aline smirked. 'If Izzy was here, she would be screaming and jumping around like crazy and all of us would have been deaf by now.'

'You don't say,' chuckled Clary, appreciating the girl in the mirror in elation.

They were interrupted by a muffled 'Don't let me down' chorus from the side of the bed. Aline lifted the quilt and picked up her vibrating phone. The confused frown transformed to a contented grin. She whispered to Clary, 'Excuse me for a sec.'

Clary nodded as Aline headed to the bathroom.

She scampered out the room enthusiastically. 'Jace!'

'Clary? What happened? What –' Jace, who was coming from the living room, halted in his speech, as the amber and emerald eyes met. 'Wow.'

Clary asked the blonde boy with a triumphant smile, 'I guess I look okay?'

'You look taller,' he answered belatedly, in a measured teasing tone, as if he had been searching for the best reply to distract both of them from whatever he was thinking.

Clary punched him in the arm light-heartedly like she very often did when he mocked him about her height – or lack thereof. 'Oh shut up. Aline and Izzy forced me to wear this goddamned high-heels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and they better be the only parts that will be crossing tonight. Or you'll see me on the news tomorrow – college student killed by a five-inch…'

She trailed off when he took a step closer and shortened the distance between them until there was only a few inches left, his aureate orbs misty and his expression unreadable. Not for a second had his eyes left hers.

Clary always thought the whole everything-occurring-in-slow-motion-with-the-one-in-front-of-you-being-the-only-existance-left-standing-in-this-world was utter bullshit that would occur in Hollywood movies, romance novels and fairytales. Yes, it was romantic. But real life wasn't. And she wasn't an idealist – not since Raphael happened.

 _Screw him. This jerk doesn't deserve a tiny space in my head._

Yet, it was happening. Right here. Right now. All in a sudden. With the boy she had known since she was a kid. The same boy who teased her endlessly and bantered with her. The same boy who had been her best friend for more than a decade. She knew she understood him probably more than anyone else did, yet at this moment, in front of her was a mystery that she couldn't figure out. And she couldn't interpret what was actually happening because she was lost in his pools of honey.

His hand reached the back of her head and pulled out the hairpin that secured her bun. The red locks left unbound tumbled down her shoulder like a cascade of flames, leaving an itchy but warm sensation behind her neck.

'And perfect now.' His tone as warming and smooth as ever – but for a second Clary thought maybe she had heard a hint of unevenness in his voice.

His attention landed on the silver pendant that rested above the square neckline of her dress.

'Was that –'

From the doorway came a loud ring of doorbell that interrupted Jace's question and summoned Clary back to reality from trance.

Sebastian.

 _Oh yes. Sebastian._

 _What was I doing? What should I do now?_

'Thank you Jace!' She quickly hugged Jace before scurrying to open the door.

Waiting there was Sebastian dressed up nicely. An epitome of smart casual. Dashing as always.

Their eyes locked as he stepped inside.

'You look beautiful, Clary,' he said with a melting smile, lifted her hand up to the back of it. Normally she would consider this overly cheesy, but when Seb did it, it seemed nothing but romantic – in a way that _should have_ made her heart fluttered or caused her cheeks to burn, but for unknown reasons, it hadn't this time.

Despite the mess of confusion and excitement and unsettlement she called her heart, she boxed them all up temporarily and managed a reply, 'Thanks, Seb. You don't look too shabby yourself.'

'Well, I did try,' he said, flashing a charming grin. 'Shall we go now?'

'Yea- wait. Lemme grab my handbag first.'

'Sure, no problem - oh hey, Jace!'

Clary turned around – Jace was leaning against the sofa, his face again indecipherable – and headed to her room. When she came back, her sling handbag hanging on her right shoulder, Jace was talking to Sebastian, his shoulder tense and his tone measured but not without a hint of warning, like a lion contemplating whether to strike.

'- just so you know, if you upset her, you'll have hell –'

'Jace!' she chimed in in exasperation.

Jace put up his hands in surrender as Sebastian chuckled at her expression.

'Don't worry Fiery. Verlac and I are just making sure that we're on the same page. Pretty sure that's on the description of the job of a best friend.'

'You're an idiot.' Clary rolled her eyes. She tipped her toes slightly so that she could hug him with her arm on his shoulder. She didn't what compelled her to do that – but it shouldn't be a big deal, as it's not something they rarely did. What bemused her was why she had spared this another thought. 'Be a good boy. Rest more. And don't wait up.'

Taking a step back so that she didn't have to crane her neck much when they talked, she frowned slightly at the sudden absence of warmth.

' _Be a good boy_ , huh? I thought I was the mature one,' said Jace, an eyebrow raised with tease.

'In your dreams, idiot,' said Clary, smirking as if she was stating an obvious fact. 'Alright. Let's go, Seb.'

Sebastian nodded in amusement and offered his hand, which she took. His hand was slightly cold, unlike Jace's calloused warm ones – she mentally slapped herself silly. Why was she even comparing Seb to Jace?

'Au revoir, Herondale,' said Sebastian, nodding at Jace, as if they were sharing an unspoken agreement.

'Au revoir. I meant what I said earlier, Verlac. I don't make empty threats, but promises. And I always keep my promises.'

'I'm counting on it.'

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **Woohoo! Sounds like the war is on to me. And Clace! I hope it's not too cheesy.**

 **If you've read the Author's Note from last chapter, you'd know there were supposed to be 3 big parts in one chapter, but then I cut the first one out and make it into Chapter 12. I thought I was gonna put the second and the last parts together, but the third part is tad bit too long and I'm still in the 'finishing up' process. So, a shorter chapter 13 it is! I'll try to update more frequently with shorter chapters - but no promises. You know, with life, school, writer's block and shits.**

 **I love all your reviews!** Laurinis, **I feel bad for Jace too.** WeirdACE **,** herongraystairs1234 **&** ZaneNassour, **so glad that you like the chapter and the development of the story. I hope you'll enjoy what happen next! :)** Bluepancakes432 **, don't we all love Clace! Don't hate me for this, but the wait is my favorite part ahahaha. Be patient for a while more. Clace is in progress! :D**

 **As I said, chap 14 is almost done. So hopefully, the next update will be soon. Meanwhile, review and tell me what you think!**

 **\- Kat xx**


	14. Chapter 14: Missing Wings

The black Audi was swiftly fleeting down the street through the surprisingly less hectic than usual New York traffic. Buildings, trees and pedestrians were quickly flying past outside the window, with Ed Sheeran crooning softly and strumming guitar in the background.

When they talked about their tastes in music last week, Sebastian mentioned that he had never listened to her favorite singer-songwriter before, much to her disbelief and disapproval which she without doubts had expressed vehemently. She even forced him to download every single album and single available on Apple Music. And ha! It worked. One more Sheerio in the making. _Power of redheads. Dear ol' Ed should be proud to have such a dedicated fan like me._

Trying to ignore the chaotic mix of thoughts nagging behind her neck, Clary unconsciously hummed along the melodious ballad, a bit too… _amateurishly_ than she wished any people other than her closest friends to hear. She had never been good at singing. She knew it, her best pals back in high school knew it, and Jace had teased her about it endlessly.

'That's one of my favorite tracks among those you downloaded for me the other day.'

'Huh?'

'The song you were singing.'

'Mine too,' she grinned cheekily, before her realization came in a delayed manner.

'Shit –' she slapped her hand against mouth, trying to muffle the word that just escaped and stop any more sentences from leaving her mouth that would make her a bigger fool than she felt now. Boiling blood was rushing up to her cheeks. 'I mean, ooops, um, sorry for the terrible singing. I – I didn't even realize what I was doing. Jace always says -'

Sebastian chortled and Clary followed, trying to hide the emerging nervousness.

'No need to apologize. It's cute. I do that a lot too.' His grin was contagious. 'And trust me, mine is worse. I think my roommate is plotting my murder now, if he hasn't already had a plan.'

Clary chuckled at his response, mentally thanking him for saving her from dying by embarrassment.

'You do look a little off though. Everything okay?' he asked, his voice leaking concern.

'Umm yeah. Distracted by something on my mind. But I'm fine now. Perfect, in fact. Don't worry,' she assured him with a smile, though it felt like she was trying to convince herself more, with without much avail.

Something wasn't right.

Something's missing.

And she couldn't tell what that was.

Sebastian didn't look convinced either, but luckily he didn't pursue further.

 _Stop overthinking, Clary. You're on a date. With Seb. You've been wanting this for a long time._

'What did Jace talk to you about back then?' Clary questioned, hoping to divert his attention. 'Sorry if he was rude or anything. He tends to be a bit…overprotective.'

With a hearty laugh, Sebastian pointed out, 'Actually I was the one who talked to him first.'

'For real?' That came out as a surprise.

'Mhmm,' he nodded, a knowing smile decorating his face.

'And…?'

'Just wanted to verify a theory of mine.'

'And did you? Did you _verify that theory_?' She asked, mimicking his tone jokingly.

'Oui.' His face, despite the smile that remained throughout the conversation, was unreadable.

You know the uneasiness invading every single cell of yours, when someone starts telling you a secret – a secret that seems to concern you – but they stop before anything important is spilt, as if the undisclosed part is a really big deal that they don't wish for you to know? That's exactly how Clary was feeling.

She was about to press, but was interrupted by Sebastian, who had just pulled the car to stop at a parking lot opposite to a fancy restaurant, 'Ça y est!'

 _Since when did we arrive? Is it just a timely coincidence? Or did he stop because he didn't want me to – stop, Clary. Stop being ridiculous! You're checking every single box on the 'don'ts' list in First Date 101. Curiosity be damned. Focus, Clary, focus!_

'That's fast, Dom Torreto. The traffic didn't offer me this much mercy when I headed out this morning.'

'Well, I tried,' he laughed as he got out and opened the door on the passenger side.

'Thank you,' she smiled at the gentlemanly gesture, as she took his offered hand and stepped out of the car.

Sebastian returned a charming grin that _should have_ melted her heart instantly.

But it didn't.

Only a warm fuzzy sensation.

And she couldn't shake the hunch that something was missing.

 _Shush brain. You're not going to ruin my night._

* * *

'It may sound like a cliché, but Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists,' Clary took a sip of the glass of glimmering champagne and said.

Accompanied by the relaxing jazz music, the date had been going smoothly so far, filled with getting-to-know-you and laughter. The restaurant was superb with delicious barbequed rib pork to kill for. _Sebastian surely knows how to win a girl's heart._

Almost completely gone were the annoying questions and tension, bottled up and thrown to the pit bottom of her heart.

Almost.

'He's definitely in my Top Ten! I love his Starry Night Over the Rhone. Most people only know about the famous Starry Night painting, but to be honest, I think this one is way more phénoménal. I used to go to the Musée d'Orsay whenever I had time just to see that painting.'

'I totally agree with you! The way he manipulated the strokes and colors was amazing,' she exclaimed in excitement. 'Sadly, I've been there once only. Always want to visit it once again. Now I'm envious,' she feigned pouted.

His shoulder shook in laughter. 'Well, at least here in America you've got the MoMA. I still haven't got the time to pay a visit.'

'That museum's a gem, I'm telling you. Every time I came to the Big Apple, it's one of my to-go places. In fact, I just went there three weeks ago. And Jace had been teasing me for '' _staring at the portraits of a psycho who cut his own ear off for an entire hour"_.'

The not-so-distant memory of her dragging Jace to the exhibition lit up her now smiling eyes. He objected the proposal at first, saying that they could have better things to do in a Sunday afternoon than paying to see pictures of dead men, which earned him a middle finger and punches in the arm. But he conceded in the end when Clary said she would go anyway whether he came along or not, making absurd commentary in an absolutely serious tone as she appreciated the masterpieces, so hilarious that she once lost control and burst into laughter in front of a self-portrait of Van Gogh – _sorry, Vincent, no offence –_ almost landing herself in the blacklist, while Jace was standing next to her, looking completely innocent with an impassive face.

 _Stupid Jace with his incredulous humor._

'He doesn't get it, does he?'

'No, he doesn't. I mean, you don't call one of the most significant figures of Modern art to date a nutcase!'

Sebastian laughed a throaty chuckle.

Clary took a small bite of the crème brulee – _jesus, that's ambrosia from heaven_ – before continuing, 'Enough about him. How about you? Who's your favorite artist?'

'Mine is someone from this century. JM Fairchild. Have you heard about her?'

Clary almost choked on her dessert at his reply.

'Hey you okay? Did I say something wrong?' Sebastian quickly refilled her empty glass with water, worry written all over his face.

 _Mum, you've got a fan._ Clary made a mental note to message her mother about it later.

Gulping down a whole glass of water, she replied with a cheeky grin, 'Yeah I'm fine. And thanks.'

Relieved, he continued, 'I've only been to a few of her exhibitions. All of them were pretty breathtaking. Haven't had the chance to meet her though.'

Her mother was a pretty private person, and became even more so after her dad died. A lot of artists of her status organized galas and parties to celebrate their success and boost their fame, but she rarely did. Her astounding artworks were more than enough to garner a mass of admirers and art collectors. Clary couldn't be more proud of the woman who nurtured her and inspired her to take on the path of art. _Sorry again, Van Gogh, you're amazing, but no one can compete with my mum._

Clary resisted the urge to blurt out the fact that she knew Jocelyn Fairchild on a very personal level, but her mum had her reasons to stay a low profile. 'I love her work too. She has a gallery in Los Angeles. Jace and I are heading back to LA for Christmas. Let's go together!'

His grin widened and his eyes twinkled. 'Oui! That's fantastique! Thank you for inviting me!'

'You're welcome.' She lifted her glass of wine up. 'Cheers to JM Fairchild.'

'Cheers to JM Fairchild!'

His beam was dashing as always, but somehow, she couldn't help thinking _again_ that something wasn't quite right. Like something that should be here wasn't.

* * *

Dressing up nicely, a candle-lit dinner in a classy restaurant and a relaxing stroll in the park, everything sounded like scenes straight out from a standard romance movie – not exactly her style but Clary 'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it.

In fact, this would definitely top her list of best first dates, with moments that she thought would only happen in her dreams.

Like now, when they stood facing each other outside the closed door of her apartment, with a step distance between them that _should have_ made her heart race like a wild horse with blood flushing in her ears.

When she looked up at him at his bottomless pools of onyx that _should have_ drawn her soul in right there.

When he slowly leaned in and gently brushed her lips with his that _should have_ melted her heart at an instant and sent her to the faraway galaxy away from the tumultuous WWIII she called her mind.

If not for the inkling niggling at the back of her neck, floating up to the surface inconveniently from time to time.

 _Shut up, brain. For ten more minutes. I beg you._

Sebastian drew back cautiously, his gaze never leaving her eyes, as if searching for his lost words.

The pumping of her heart sped up a bit and a blush was slowly sneaking up to her cheeks.

But a small whisper in her mind told her that it didn't exactly feel like how it was supposed to be.

 _Shush._

'Thank you for the dinner,' Clary managed a simper, her speech surprisingly stable. _Jeez someone should give me an award for my incredible composure in situation like this._

The corners of his lips curled up a bit, looking half relieved, half – _screw it, I don't know how to read people's emotions anymore._ 'The pleasure is mine.'

'See you on Monday?'

'Oui! Good night, Clary.'

'Good night, Seb.'

Clary turned around, inserted her key and turned the brass knob as the door of the lift closed.

Her smile unconsciously ceased as she tried not to put her mind on what could have possibly gone wrong in the date.

Everything was perfect.

Seb was perfect.

Yet, realization shot through muddled brain like a lightning through a cloudy sky when she saw Jace lying on the crouch, snoring softly with his right arm hanging off the edge and his left hand resting on an opened book above his chest.

She knew what was missing.

Butterflies.

The butterflies were missing.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **So... what do you think? About Sebastian? About the date? About Clary? How will she react and what will she do next?**

 **Please review and tell me what you like/hate about this chapter or the whole story in general! And your ideas on the characters and the future development of the story too!**

 **Annnnd...10+ reviews before the next chapter?**

 **Until next time!**

 **\- Kat x**


End file.
